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blahblahblaw18 · 1 year

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New Era

Okay, So I have decided that this blog needs a revamp. I am now in Jindal and this is, if not the law school that I wanted to be in, still a massive massive upgrade. This past year has been full of twists and turns, some new and exciting others bleak and depressing. But overarchingly, it has been an era of change.

In the week that passed by, there were barely any classes held First there was the Diwali break and then there was the self-declared mental health break. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with work, and at one point I felt like I would physically collapse. So last Thursday, when in the middle of the night I found myself recording reassuring phrases and sentences, it immediately rang sirens in my head. I was like "Shit! What am I doing?! What has become of me?? I am having to record reassuring words and play them to feel mentally better. This is no way to function!" And I knew I had some reworking to do. So the following few days have just been me trying to recalibrate and recuperate mentally and emotionally. I reached out to seek therapy and that helped a lot.

But the one thing that I realised was that whatever mental health crisis I was going through was not new. In fact, it was the same old story of overworking myself under pressure, overburdening myself and then snapping. So I was basically committing the same mistakes all over again, going around the same corner and repeating the same errors of judgement. I thought long and hard about it and decided that I needed to change my lifestyle and way of functioning.

And therefore, I am officially restarting this blog again. Albeit, in an all-new avatar. I hate using hackneyed phrases like these just as much as you, I assume, would be hating reading them, but just bear with me. Because, in this new and refurbished blog, I intended to once again, pour out all my feeling and thoughts and seek reflection and reassessment of my actions. However, the blog posts you will be seeing will be more in the stream-of-consciousness style and hence will not include me putting too much effort into correcting the grammar or the sentence structuring. Not that these will be completely ignored, but just that they wouldn't be my primary priority. My aim and intention in writing these blog posts will be to chronicle the events of my week, vent and remove from my system all the unnecessary information that I consume on a daily basis as well as my thoughts and opinions on them so that not only will the be committed from my system but the entire process of recording these events and the little lessons i learn from them be the guiding manual for me in my journey out of this capitalistic college.

One additional change that I will be bringing about is finally turning this blog into a non-anonymous piece. I feel like I have as a person and as a writer now reached a stage where I can write without giving much thought to what people who will be reading this will think of me. The main reason I had kept this anonymous was, I was afraid of my parents reading it and confronting me about things. Basically, I didn't like the idea of them knowing so much about what goes on in my mind and hence the conscious decision of not to reveal this to them.

The issue with blogging about one's life, and that too blogging so publically and regularly is that you have to gain an understanding of how much information you want to put out o record and what information you want to put out on record. I am thinking that maybe instead of this being a dear diary, I should probably make this a blog about the little stories and incidents that I have encountered in my life and as a part of law school. This way, I will not only get to record my thoughts and the events in my life, But I will also get to exercise my brain and keep on record these little events that one so often tends to forget with the passing of time.

Obviously, this is not going to be perfect in any sense whatsoever because perfecting is a myth. But I will try to take in all your comments and opinions about my style of writing in a positive stride and try to incorporate constructive criticism into my writing habits. But comments about the events I record or about the people in those events or the way I reacted to these events, will all be ignored outright and straight. Because that is not for me to worry or ponder over. Sure you may make those comments, but I will not be engaging with them in any form or manner. Now I realise that I may be a fool to even think that people living in this decade of instant gratification would even read my blog. But I really don't give a flying flamingo about how many readers this blog has or what the readers think of me or anything. Cause that isn't my shit to handle. Anyway, I am feeling very sleepy so I am going to go and leave this here for now.

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coldgoldlazarus · 3 years

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Wound up getting into a big discussion over the merits of and problems with killing off characters to raise the stakes, and I laid out my thoughts on the direction I think/hope the show will go in:

Transcription:

I think the volume (or the Atlas arc as a whole if this goes on into V9, but at the rate things are going rn I highly doubt it) is going to end kinda like Empire Strikes Back, or Season 2 of Avatar

The heroes lose, but the villains don't completely win either

And while I could see RT deciding to kill off some people, I hope they'll take more interesting options instead

I think Atlas will fall, but the people in the Crater will survive, somehow

Ironwood will die as kind of the representation of how his hubris/stubbornness and that of Atlas in general will have cost him

Salem will come away having gotten what she wanted, but losing some of her followers to defection in the process, while the heroes have to pick up the pieces, and Ruby's going to go through a crisis of faith.

But I don't think it's going to be as grimdark as some people seem to want, and it'll be something they'll come back stronger from in the Vacuo arc.

That's my prediction.

#not a reblog #rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby speculation #also you weirdos asking for Penny or JNR to die to fuel Ruby's angst #are missing that we already had that with Pyrrha #(and heck even summer #regardless of whether or not she's actually dead)#(but I don't think she's in the hound)#point is #we already fridged someone to push everyone else forward #doing that AGAIN would be unnecessary and hackneyed #when there are many much more interesting options available

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oss-crime · 3 years

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Chapter 3-Project “Ma” –Adam–; Scene 6

Original Sin Story: Crime, pages 108-115

There were no complaints about Adam becoming the new director from about the ten other researchers there.

Adam’s knowledge and ability from being raised under Horus’ tutelage from a young age was something everyone had already seen for themselves.

Around this point Adam himself had developed an interest in the legacy pieces that were so filled with mystery, and even came to enjoy researching how to better use them.

But at the same time, he was also dejected that these would become tools for political conflict among those with authority.

Did Father feel the same way? Adam thought to himself.

The truth that Horus had told Adam before he left.

I’m…the son of the queen…

It continued to smolder in the corner of his heart.

One day, the man named Gammon who was head of the peacekeeping force visited the institute.

“I’m seeking Sir Horus’ whereabouts,” Gammon informed Adam.

Adam looked at him doubtfully. “I hardly think that’s the job of the chief of the peacekeeping forces. And my father left on his own, looking for a place to die.”

“Are you saying it’s uncouth of me to deliberately seek him out?”

“Yes. And he’s probably already…breathed his last.”

“If he’s dead then at the very least I want to have a proper mourning service for him, so that he might rest easy.”

Gammon’s reason for persisting on the matter with Horus—Adam knew quite well.

He took out the list of names from the drawer in his desk, and then opened up one of its pages to show Gammon.

--And then the other man understood everything.

“So you know. Of the relationship between Horus and I.”

“You were plotting with my father to start some kind of anti-government coup. I imagine it would be quite unfortunate for you if that went public.”

Even moreso considering Gammon was not only the head of the peacekeeping force but also the son of the senate head.

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

Gammon glowered at him, but Adam shook his head with a smirk.

“As-if. The existence of this list isn’t terribly convenient for me either.”

If the senate were to learn of his father’s true nature, it could very likely spell disaster for Adam.

Gammon seemed to grasp this, but he still showed no sign of relaxing the tension on his face.

“…Then I wonder which side you plan to stand on? Will you take on Sir Horus’ will, or—”

“Frankly, I haven’t decided yet. I did respect my father, but at the same time I also hated him. And there are…several things to consider, for me personally.”

“…?”

“Well, let’s try to get along, for now. Perhaps this may end up to be mutually agreeable for us both…Ah, would you like some coffee?”

Gammon wordlessly nodded at Adam’s suggestion.

Adam and Gammon would meet up from time to time after that.

As they moved ahead in their interactions, Adam came to learn more and more what kind of man this Gammon Loop Octopus was.

Despite being the eldest born son of the Loop Octopus family, as he was magically impotent he had been shunned by his father, and ultimately cast out of his inheritance.

Even so he tirelessly studied guns and swordsmanship, and managed to rise to the rank of chief of the peacekeeping forces.

However, at present it seemed he couldn’t hope to get any farther than that, after all…

More interestingly, despite being unable to use magic he had been born possessing a strange ability.

“—Every so often I see dreams. Purple dreams,” a red-faced Gammon had blurted out while they were drinking wine together at a bar. “And whatever I see in those dreams will come true a few days later.”

“Wow, so you’ve got prophetic dreams.”

“I guess I have the power of being an ‘Inheritor of Rahab’…To tell the truth, all the people of the Loop Octopus family have it to some degree or another—You know what that means?”

“Nnope…”

“The queen has her position by hearing the ‘voice of the gods’, and then telling it to people via a prophecy. But my family can predict the future too, though our methods may differ. In other words—”

And there Gammon drank up his wine, and said to Adam with resolve:

“—We don’t need a queen.”

“…”

So then, this must have been one of the reasons for Gammon’s anti-authority sentiments.

That there was no reason why a man like himself who has such powers…the same power that is needed for the ruler of this country, to be sputtering away at his current status.

He hadn’t declared it outright, but it sounded as though he was plotting to become the king of the country in place of the queen.

Adam hadn’t revealed to Gammon that he was the queen’s son. If he had known that, he probably wouldn’t have told Adam about his theory of her being unnecessary.

Adam was privately undecided on Gammon’s idea, but on the other hand he could empathize with it.

--The person who became ruler should be someone suited to the role.

All the people who live in this land are the children of god…How long would this country be bound by such a hackneyed doctrine?

What had the gods ever done for them?

Give prophecies through the queen?

But what truly saved this country were the devices born out of research into the legacy pieces…In other words, the efforts of the Royal Research Institute.

Wasn’t it time that Levianta took back the correct definition of “kingdom”?

The foundation of a royal family, and inheritance of the position based on bloodlines…

If that could come to pass there would be no more pointless squabbling within the senate.

--Then, who would be most suitable as the ruler of this country?

It would be someone who had had the blood of the current queen flowing through him, and had the most in-depth knowledge of the old artifacts that were so essential to this country…

Yes…me.

It was an outrageously ambitious idea.

There was no way it would go that smoothly, and Adam had no desire to bring about a pointless conflict to get it done.

But if I had the chance—

Gammon clapped Adam on the shoulder as he was lost in thought.

“Oi…You listening?”

“Y-yeah…Sorry. What was it again?”

“’Course you weren’t…This might be a crazy theory, but…” Gammon continued to speak, his tone shaky, “…My family can tell the future too…My Dad, Miroku, is the same. So, even if there were no queen…Even if, say, she’d died a long time ago, then no one would figure it out…”

“…Oh?”

“The queen hasn’t shown herself in public for close to twenty years.”

“That’s…because only the head of the senate is allowed to meet with her directly—”

“My father was the one who decided on that…after he became head of the senate…”

He could just say it was drunken nonsense and think nothing of it.

But if that were the truth…then that would mean that in essence Miroku was reigning over the country as its ruler.

…No, that’s an absurd notion.

His father had said it himself, hadn’t he?

The queen was being controlled with a drug.

If that were really the case, then Miroku would have no reason to kill his mother.

But…either way, the fact remains that Miroku is the one who holds all the power in this country.

He would need to meet with someone who knew the truth.

But Miroku himself would never confess to any of this.

This man here is his son, so maybe…No—if he could, he probably would have done it long ago.

Adam gave a side-eye to Gammon as he lay passed out on the floor from drink.

“Hmm…I suppose I should call it a night.”

Right as Adam put a hand on Gammon’s shoulder to wake him.

“My my. Are you…the head of the Royal Research Institute, perchance?”

There was someone approaching him, speaking up in a jovial tone.

“Yes, I am…--!?”

Adam caught his breath upon seeing this person’s face.

F-father…?

A man who looked just like Horus, who he had thought dead, stood smiling before him.

…But Adam quickly thought again.

This man appeared much younger than the real Horus.

Yes, he seemed about the same age as when Adam had first met Horus—when he had suddenly appeared there on the beach.

“Is there something on my face?” the bespectacled man asked, head tilting curiously.

“N-no…What business do you have with me?”

“Right. I was planning on going up to the institute tomorrow…What luck to run into you here in a place like this. That blue hair…I could tell it was you right away, you have those same features my mentor told me about.”

The man put his hands on his hips, and began his introduction.

“My name is Seth Twiright. I am the top apprentice of Horus Solntse—And the best scientist in this country.”

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howdoyousayghibli · 4 years

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A Soapy Sub-Plot Diminishes the Otherwise Brilliant From Up on Poppy Hill

In his excellent series, Movies with Mikey, Mikey Neumann asks a question about Jurassic Park II: Can one stupid scene ruin a great movie? When that little girl defeats a previously terrifying velociraptor with “gymnastics,” it undermines their power to scare the audience and spotlights a character the audience already doesn’t like. But does that erase any and all good qualities the rest of the movie has?

This question is terribly relevant to From Up on Poppy Hill, a 2011 film directed by Gorō Miyazaki. The son of Hayao Miyazaki, Gorō also directed the disappointing Tales from Earthsea. In Poppy Hill, he appears to have learned some lessons from his previous experience; the movie is enjoyable, moving, and packed with some of Studio Ghibli’s best dialogue yet.

This brings us back to Mikey’s question: Can the inclusion of a subplot that is in poor taste, hackneyed, and unnecessary ruin an otherwise fantastic film? Let’s just say this review’s going to have a hefty Spoiler Zone.

There’s plenty to talk about before we get there, though. Set in1963, Poppy Hill tells the story of two teenagers, Umi and Shun. Umi is uber-responsible, essentially running a boarding house for her Grandmother while also studiously attending school and keeping an eye on her younger sister. She doesn’t have much choice in the matter; her father died while serving in WWII, and her mother is studying in America.

Shun has a more normal home life, but is deeply involved in “the Latin Quarter,” a massive, old, and dilapidated building that houses innumerable school clubs (all of which are apparently boys-only). The major plot thread of the movie concerns attempts by, you know, Big Business or whoever to demolish the Latin Quarter and build a shiny new facility in its place. The facility would still be for the students, so it’s not a matter of losing their place; it’s a matter of losing the historical building itself.

While Umi’s extreme competence and selflessness endear her to the viewer, the Latin Quarter steals the show whenever the characters visit. I always think it’s bogus and pretentious when people speak of a city or location as “another character, really,” but they’d probably say it about the quirky clubhouse. I’d still disagree, though. The Latin Quarter is such a fun locale because of the many well-written actual characters inside it. The lavish details of the building itself don’t hurt, of course, but it’s really the clubs themselves that bring it to life.

A big part of that comes from some of the best, let’s call it, “background dialogue” of any movie I’ve seen. Neither Umi nor Shun are particularly funny, but the large cast of unnamed Latin Quarter club members are consistently hilarious throughout the movie. At the risk of doing the original screenwriters a discredit, I’m tempted to lay some of this success at the feet of Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who oversaw the production of the U.S. dub. Both also worked on the dubs for Ponyo and Arrietty, were also excellently localized. Whoever deserves the credit, the movie is much richer for it.

Now, I’ve said that Umi and Shun aren’t especially funny, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t compelling. Just like the club members who populate the Latin Quarter, the protagonists are endearing because they both feel like they have lives outside of this movie. In different ways, Umi and Shun are both competent and passionate people, avoiding the “waiting for the plot to start” feeling that comes from less fully realized characters. Umi in particular has a moving emotional arc, made all the more powerful by how much of her growth, while inspired by those around her, seemed to come from decisions she made on her own.

Clearly, there’s a lot to love about From Up on Poppy Hill. The fly in the ointment shows up as Umi and Shun grow closer. It’s only natural that the movie would introduce some form of conflict into the story of their relationship, but the chosen form of that conflict leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s something of a twist and happens a good bit into the movie, so I’ll only discuss it directly in the Spoiler Zone, but the long and short of it is that it was a poor choice, it doesn’t give our protagonists anything interesting to do, and it took me about 10 seconds to think of an alternative that would involve minimal differences to the rest of the story.

You may recall that Gorō’s previous directorial effort, Tales From Earthsea, showed some promise but was ultimately weighed down by its failures. You may wonder if Poppy Hill is in a similar situation; fortunately, although the Bad Subplot does detract from the movie, the ratio of good to bad here is wildly better than in Earthsea. This time around, the strengths outweigh the blunders, and I recommend it to any Ghibli fans — I just wish the recommendation didn’t have to come with an asterisk.

Up Next:

It’s The Wind Rises! It’s currently Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film (no release date for How Do You Live? yet) and I’m very excited for it.

Stray Notes:

Maybe my favorite of the many great background lines in the clubhouse: “How can we make archaeology cool again?” “We can’t.”

woooaaaah floor potato storage

Ghibli knows how to cut away from a joke (and not dwell on it)

Wow they’re really hitting the old vs new thing hard

Artist girl is an enormous mood

Lil Umi and her flags OH NO

Urinal conversation huh

“It’s like a cheap melodrama” YEAH KINDA MY MAN

Ah yes, rice goop

Giant Philosophy Man is great

Chairman guy has a great voice

That explosion was magnificently animated

Spoiler Zone

So, Umi and Shun are growing closer and like 5 seconds from making out when they discover that Umi’s late father is also Shun’s birth father, who gave him to Shun’s adoptive parents when he was still just a baby. They’re actually brother and sister! Who doesn’t love a good incest subplot?

Besides being soapy and gross, it just doesn’t make for a good story. It’s an automatic shutdown; you can’t even root for them to “overcome” this obstacle and still end up together, because … incest. While you could say there’s something to watching them learn to interact with each other non-romantically, it just kind of torpedoes their part of the movie for a bit.

I say for a bit, because of course this subplot is resolved the only way it possibly could be: Oops, they actually aren’t brother and sister! Herein lies the other part of the problem — the resolution has nothing to do with the efforts of Umi and Shun. Like I said, it doesn’t really work to have them trying to “solve” this problem, so they’re simply informed at the end of Act 3 that Umi’s dad took baby Shun from another dude, who died, and gave him to Shun’s birth parents.

Action is artificially injected into this story by having the not-so-star-crossed pair race across town so they can meet a sailor who knew their parents before his ship leaves. While I understand that they’d want to meet this man, they both seemingly know all the important bits — i.e., that they aren’t related — before they talk to him, which makes the sense of urgency feel very forced. I say “seemingly” because for reasons unknown, we only see Umi learn this crucial information. We never see Shun learn it, and we never see the two of them talk about it. Presumably, what should’ve been a climactic moment happened off-screen.

All the narrative problems aside, it’s also just gross whenever the scripts ties itself into knots to make incest a concern. It was bad in Speaker for the Dead, it was bad in the trailer for that stupid theme park show, it’s bad in every other comedy anime, and it’s bad here.

I can only assume that this was their way of having the relationship reflect the theme of the past affecting the present? But they could’ve just as easily introduced conflict through a revelation that Umi’s dad was somehow responsible for the death of Shun’s dad: it makes the past a barrier between them, puts them in a place to work at not letting the past actions of others affect their future, AND at no point does anyone have to say, “wait, don’t worry, it’s actually not incest!” Wins all around!

#from up on poppy hill #poppy hill #studio ghibli #ghibli #Goro Miyazaki

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ninja-in-skirts · 4 years

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Never Have I Ever: A hotchpotch of fun and melodrama

Never Have I Ever: Season One (2020). Netflix

Devi, an Indian-American teenager struggles amidst family crisis and school affairs as she gets thrown into a whirl-wind of emotionally-jarring events she’d never signed up for…

Never have I ever, a Netflix original created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher and based roughly on her childhood starring newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in the role of Devi Vishwakumar comes off as a mixture of an enjoyable comedy and emotional joy-ride with strains of coarseness to it. Devi, an Indian-American teenager breaks the stereotypical perception of the stingy up tightness the outside world is used to perceiving an Indian to be. Having had a disastrous freshman year resulting from the death of her father Mohan (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and being induced in a temporary paralysis of her limbs, Devi prepares to have an eventful year which pretty much sums up with the array of events that pull and push her off the cliff of sanity. Although Ramakrishnan happens to successfully portray the sex-crazed hormonal girl her team fails to understand this hackneyed trope has gone beyond over-usage into a cacophony of utter non-sense. Which guy in his right state of mind would allow his body to be felt up just for the sake of nothing? Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet), a half Japanese-American senior in Devi’s school and the cause of one of her major dilemmas accepts to jump right into action out of nowhere? How cringe-worthy is that?

Apart from the Paxton-Devi scenes which appear a bit out of thread and silly (it’s teenage drama so it has to be silly right?) her best-friends Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) are equally over-done as well. Everyone apart from the female lead seems to be a bit out of character, pulling the strings so hard that after one point their actions become unwanted and unnecessary. In some places the mother becomes more of a screeching and screaming nobody than an understanding mother; Devi’s cousin appears to be a bit of a shallow person as she easily does away with her boyfriend just so in order to adhere to the strict family norms and not marry a non-Indian. Come-on this is twenty-first century, even parents are bound to outdo their age-old beliefs and are Indian parents complete aliens, do they not care for their children’s happiness, are they stone-cold demons or something? Devi’s over-indulgence in Paxton costs her dearly as she comes off as selfish and self-conceited making her drift away from her best-friends. But then again aren’t best-friends supposed to be understanding and not hide secrets from each other? Every major crisis beginning with Devi’s sexual attraction towards Paxton, to Fabiola’s coming out and Eleanor’s not-so-famous mom turning up after ages seem to be happening right at the same time. The plot is less of a comedy and more of an unrealistic and unexpected turn of events that leaves us with a lopsided half-hearted laugh instead of punching the air-bags out of us. John McEnroe and Andy Samberg’s (Brooklyn Nine Nine, anyone?) narration breathes fresh air into the usual monotony. This show is definitely a big leap for the South-Asian community which is the least represented in American television despite forming one-third of the American diaspora and legal citizens. The Indian audience would definitely warm up to the show as it’s more or less a sketchy portrayal of the same community but things have changed a bit now and people are no longer interested in arranged-marriages only and no-talking to boys drama as we as Indians are past the stone-age the writers are still stuck in. The over Indianisation and Indian-possessiveness comes off as a major turn off for us which becomes suffocating and annoying after some time as real-life teenagers are bored of the corny drama. Just as the extra cheese on the pizza bread might become nauseating, in a very similar manner the melodramatic trope might prove detrimental in the long run.

I’ll give it a 7.5 out of 10 as although Kaling is not the first to focus the limelight on an Indian character (we already have Quantico and Alex Parrish {Priyanka Chopra} for that) she has done a good job in breaking the conventional image borne by an Indian-teenager which honestly has been very brave of her to do so. There are lots of flaws like the confusing Devi’s affection for her rival Ben (Jaren Lewison) and the dearth and bursting forth of energy by the supporting cast all at the same time is a bit grating on the nerves, not to mention the unrealistic way some scenes come off. The show would have been a lot better and entertaining if it had been planned properly and I just hope the creator wouldn’t make everything awkwardly dramatic where an Indian is involved as believe it or not we’re not so cheesy and corny as we’re portrayed, we’re quite normal with normal problems and solutions rather than being extra-superstitious for a coyote to become familiar with! All we can do is wait for the next season to clear up the mess and answer all our questions and solve the riddles.

Cast and crew

Director(s): Tristram Shapeero, Kabir Akhtar, Linda Mendoza, Anu Valia.

Writer(s): Lang Fisher, Mindy Kaling, Aaron Geary, Ben Steiner, Amina Munir, Chris Schelicher, Justin Noble, Erica Oyama, Akshara Sekar, Matt Warburton.

Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Darren Barnet, Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Poorna Jagannathan, Jaren Lewison, Richa Moorjani, Sendhil Ramamurthy.

#netflix #tvshow #review #tv review #netflix orignal series #mindy kaling #never have i ever #season one #indian #indian american #south asian #asian #asian american

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alj4890 · 5 years

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None But You

(Thomas x Amanda) set in a Regency Era time period as requested by @pixieferry

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) a Choices Red Carpet Diaries Fan Ficition

A/N Forgive me for taking so long. I had the premise in my mind for this, yet the conversations eluded me. They finally came about as I wanted. Once more, we aren't quite finished with this pair. I forsee more chapters for this regency romance.

Summary: Lord Thomas is attempting to court Lady Amanda. For some reason, she refuses to see him. The Viscount is bound and determined to not only discover why, but to win a chance with the lady.

@graceful-popcorn @krsnlove @alleksa16 @hopelessromantic1352 @pixieferry @emceesynonymroll @buzz-bee-buzz @hopefulmoonobject @cora-nova @rainbowsinthestorm @lxaah11 @dr-nancy-house @friedherringclodthing @aworldoffandoms @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @flyawayboo

Masterlist

Chapter 6

Thomas rang the bell at the Bridgerton's stately town home and idly slapped his gloves against his legs. Hudson opened the door and bowed him in.

"Good afternoon, my lord." Hudson greeted.

"And to you Hudson. Is Lady Amanda in for callers?" Thomas asked.

"I shall check, sir." The butler left the viscount in the entry hall to inquire.

Thomas began to think of ways to correct the previous night's actions. After much deliberation, he was more than ready to properly court Lady Amanda. He simply needed to tell her his intentions and that he should not have offered Lord Matthew as a suitor.

He grimaced at the uphill battle laid before him. He knew the victory would be more than worth the trouble and was anxious to begin. Thomas was quite confident that Amanda felt something for him. Hopefully, it hadn't altered from his mistakes.

"My Lord, Lady Amanda asked me to express her apologies. She is not receiving callers today." Hudson explained.

Thomas frowned. He knew he had hurt her with his words, yet surely she wasn't petty enough to refuse him a chance to speak with her. "Would you tell her it is imperative I speak with her? I will not stay long, but there is something I need to tell her."

Hudson nodded. "If you will give me a moment." He bowed again and went into the drawing room, closing the door behind him.

Thomas fought his irritation at being refused admittance. He knew the longer she went believing he did not find her desirable as a wife, the harder it would be to change her way of thinking.

"I'm sorry my lord, but Lady Amanda is not up for a visit. She is feeling unwell."

Thomas narrowed his eyes at the closed door, tempted to force his way in and have her hear him out. "I see. Please convey my wish for her health to return. I will try again tomorrow."

____________

"Lady Amanda is still not up to receiving callers, Lord Hunt." Hudson explained.

Thomas attempted to keep his temper in check. "Is Lady Lucinda perhaps available?" He had a feeling he would need Amanda's aunt to help convince the stubborn creature he wished to court.

"No sir, she is out with Lady Mardson." Hudson grimaced in comiseration. "Shall I deliver a message for you?"

"No." Thomas bit out. He knew the servant couldn't make his mistress meet with him. Thank you, Hudson. I will try another time." He strode to his carriage and told his coachman to take him to the Rawlings's residence. It was time to call upon Lady Millie's assistance.

______________

"Lord Thomas! This is a surprise." Millie waved to a chair for him to sit. "Please have a tea tray sent up, Franklin."

Her butler bowed and left. Millie turned back to Thomas and waited on him to explain the purpose of his visit.

"Forgive me if it seems I am prying, but have you spoken with Lady Amanda recently?" He asked.

"Not since Lady Vaughn's dinner party." Millie explained. "Why? Has something happened?" Her eyes widened in panic. "The duke has not bothered her again, has he?"

"No. Not that I am aware of." Thomas quickly replied. "I have called the past couple of days and been turned away. Her butler says she is unwell."

"Oh?" Millie's brow furrowed. "I hope it isn't something serious." She rose from her chair and told him to please remain seated. She went to an escritoire over by the window and quickly composed a note. She then rang for a footman and asked him to deliver the note to the Bridgerton's. "Please await a response." She instructed.

The young servant promised to make haste and left on his errand. Millie sat back down across from Thomas. "Now we shall know how alarmed we should be."

The viscount bowed his head in thanks.

"Is it presumptuous of me to inquire as to the reason you are attempting to speak to one of my dearest friends?" Millie thanked Franklin for the tray and began to prepare the cups for her and Thomas.

"I believe I shall come to call upon your assistance in the future over this matter. I see no other way around keeping it a secret, nor do I wish to." Thomas met her inquistive blue eyes. "I intend on courting Lady Amanda."

Millie clapped her hands together. "How wonderful! Of course I shall assist you in this endeavor. I believe you both will be very happy together." She smiled in approval at him. "I am pleased you see how special she is."

Thomas nodded while stirring his tea. "She is indeed."

They both looked up when the footman returned. "Lady Amanda's butler informed me that the lady had retired to her quarters. She had begun to feel worse. Mr. Hudson was sending one of their footmen to inform Lady Bridgerton."

"Thank you, Marcus. That will be all." Millie waited until he had left the room before speaking her worry. "I know Amanda comes down with severe headaches from time to time. Perhaps that is what has her taking to her bed."

Thomas set his teacup down. "It most likely is. Thank you Lady Millie for your quick thinking and help in this matter."

She smiled and held her hand out to him. "It is my pleasure, my lord. I look forward to seeing this courtship come about."

He bowed and took his leave.

_____________

"Sir Vincent." Lord Thomas nodded in greeting. "Nothing's wrong, is there?" He glanced at the familiar house.

The physician frowned. "I am afraid there is." He noticed the bouquet of flowers in the viscount's hand and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you acquainted with the Ladies Bridgerton?"

"Er, yes. I am." Thomas grimaced at the knowing look the older man settled on him. "Does your visit mean one is ill?"

"Lady Amanda has been running a fever most of the night." Sir Vincent waved a hackney down. "I must see to the Baroness Langstone. Her confinement has come to an end. If I am to go by what the Baron has expressed in his note, their first child should be born by nightfall. I will return as soon as I can." He climbed into the conveyance and left.

Thomas went up the steps and knocked on the Bridgerton's door.

"Lord Hunt." Hudson greeted while stepping back.

As Thomas walked in, Lady Lucinda came downstairs. "Hudson was that the--oh! Good afternoon, my lord."

He bowed to her. "Forgive me for coming unannounced. I encountered Sir Vincent outside. How is Lady Amanda?"

Lucinda brushed a shaky hand across her eyes. "She has been unwell since the dinner party."

"My lady," Hudson interrupted. "You must rest."

"I will once her fever breaks." Lucinda gripped the bannister. "Hudson, please have more water brought up." She looked over at Thomas. "I am sorry, Lord Hunt. I am afraid your visit is--"

"How may I help?" He asked, concerned with Lucy's pinched expression.

"There is little to do except wait. She--" Lucinda turned around when Amanda's maid, Peggy, came around the corner.

"My lady, her fever is rising again. Where--" she stopped speaking when both Lucinda and Thomas rushed past her.

Thomas paused in the doorway when he saw Amanda. She moved restlessly in her bed as she slept. Her face was flushed and beads of perspiration glistened on her skin. Lucinda pressed her hand against Amanda's forehead. She bit her lip as tears of frustration built.

Hudson brought in a fresh pitcher of water. Thomas shrugged his coat off, rolled his sleeves up, and loosened his cravat. He poured some water into a cup and slipped his arms around Amanda to lift her in a sitting position. Her feverish eyes opened and she looked at him. "Thomas?"

"Drink." He commanded as he held a cup to her lips. Amanda weakly pushed his hand away. He patiently tried to coax her. "Please drink, for me." He said softly.

She obediently took a few sips and closed her eyes, exhausted from the effort. He gently laid her back down. Lucy poured some water into a basin and wet a rag to place on her head. She collapsed weakly into a chair and stared at her niece.

"Lady Bridgerton, go and rest. You will be of no use to her if you become ill also." He helped her stand. "With your permission, I will tend to Lady Amanda with assistance from the others."

Lucy nodded and gently patted his arm. "Thank you, Lord Hunt." She studied him closely for a moment. "I forgot to ask the purpose of your visit."

He swallowed and looked over at Amanda. "I needed to right a misunderstanding."

"I see." She smiled softly. "I wish you luck with that."

Thomas made certain her ladies maid followed the countess back to her room before returning to Amanda's bedside. He removed the rag that had become warm and placed it back in the basin. "Hudson, please have fresh water brought up at intervals."

"Yes, my lord." The butler quickened his pace while Peggy stood at the ready.

"What should I do, sir?" She asked.

"Prepare a cool bath. Her fever is rising too quickly for the rags to do much good." He took the damp rag and began to wipe her face and arms.

Peggy returned assuring him all was ready. "My lord, how will we move her?"

He frowned as he looked down at Amanda. "I will carry her."

Peggy's gasp caused him to snap at her. "For heaven sake's woman! I am not in the least thinking improperly. Lady Amanda can not continue to fight this fever without help. If you are unable to trust me with this task then by all means watch my every move, but cease your unnecessary outrage!"

Peggy's lips firmed in disapproval. She reluctantly muttered an apology and assisted Thomas in getting Amanda out of her nightgown. He kept a sheet over her for modesty sake and to appease her prickly maid. He lifted her up, frowning even more at the immense heat radiating off her body. He set her in the tub and left to request the bed linens changed.

Peggy's hands flew to cover the tub with the sheet when he returned and instructed her to pour water over Amanda's head. "But what of a chill taking hold?" She questioned, refusing to budge an inch.

He snatched the pitcher of water out of her hands and slowly poured the water himself. Thomas and Peggy watched Amanda closely as she lay there asleep in the tub. She had been trembling for a while. When she began to get restless, Thomas felt her forehead. He breathed out a relieved sigh. "She is not as warm as she was."

Peggy brushed past him and felt her skin. She grunted her approval of his methods and retrieved a towel. After demanding he close his eyes, she dried and dressed her mistress quickly as he held her. Thomas carried her back to her bed. He continued his vigil throughout the night.

He assured the servants that he was willing to do so and for them to allow Lady Bridgerton to remain asleep. Amanda's fever rose three more times and he helped administer the medication that Sir Vincent had delivered. Between his methods and Peggy's assistance, they managed to hold their own against her relentless fever.

Around four in the morning, Amanda opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper and her mouth was parched. She turned her head in search of something to drink and saw Thomas watching her.

He leaned closer and noticed the glassy look of fever was not clouding her eyes. "What do you need?" He asked softly so as not to awaken Peggy who was snoring in the corner.

"Water, please." Her voice croaked. She tried to sit up on her own and was surprised when his arm wrapped around her. She placed her hand over his that held the cup and drank. She thanked him and laid back against the pillows he had placed behind her. "What are you doing here?"

He gently took her hand. "I was coming to call upon you and was told you were ill. I offered to help when I saw how exhausted your aunt was."

Amanda closed her eyes in embarrassment. "That was very kind of you." She opened them and met his concerned gaze.

His lips quirked. "I think we both know I'm not kind."

"I believe this proves otherwise." She struggled to stay awake. "Forgive me. I am so tired."

As sleep quickly overcame her, she had the strangest sensation of a kiss being pressed to her forehead.

______________

A little over a week later, Sir Vincent declared that she could slowly venture out again. "Fresh air is what you need, my lady. A ride in Hyde Park would be the perfect outing." His eyes twinkled with humor. "I'm afraid though that balls will be out of the question for another week. The gentlemen will have to continue to endure inadequate partners for the time being."

Lucy ordered the barouche to be brought around. After thanking the doctor, the ladies went for a ride while London's surprisingly sunny weather permitted.

The countess made certain Amanda was warm enough with the top down. The young lady laughed at having the blanket tucked snugly once more. "Aunt Lucy! I assure you, between my shawl and the blanket, I am most warm."

"I am merely making certain my favorite niece does not become ill again." Lucy gently patted her cheek. "You gave us all quite a fright."

"Need I remind you I am your only niece?" She teased before becoming serious. "I am sorry about worrying you." Amanda squeezed her hand affectionately.

"As long as you promise not to do so again, I shall let the matter rest." Lucy replied. "Oh drat. Here comes that awful woman... Good afternoon Mrs. Haselby!"

Amanda half listened to their conversation and began to look around at those enjoying the park. Her mind wandered to thoughts of Lord Thomas. After tending to her through the night, he had not been by to visit since. Each day he had sent a gift of some sort to her.

Fresh bouquets of flowers were delivered each morning to brighten her room as she remained confined to her bed. A book of short stories was sent on another day with a note suggesting she finish Persuasion so that they could discuss it when next he saw her. Sweets from Gunter's were most recently delivered.

She was puzzeled at his sudden attention. Amanda knew he was a kind gentleman. Clearly he was generous with his time and money. He seemed to be the sort of man that would make a most loyal friend, which was good since that seemed all that was to be between them.

"Lady Amanda!"

She shook herself from her thoughts and smiled. "Good afternoon, Lord Matthew."

He climbed off his horse and approached the carriage. He took his hat off and bowed. His own smile was friendly. "How are you? I heard from Kirkwood that you were ill."

"I am much improved." She assured him.

"Good. You have been greatly missed at the ton events." He bowed and greeted Lady Lucy when she was finally set free from Mrs. Haselby.

No wonder Lord Thomas suggested him for me, Amanda thought. The count is very sweet. He did come to my defense with Duke Montmarte. Perhaps over time, I could come to care for him.

"Good afternoon, my lady."

She glanced up at the familiar voice. "Lord Hunt." She replied, watching him climb off his horse. He walked over to her side of the carriage.

"Sir Vincent told me he was going to recommend fresh air today and I hoped to see you here." Thomas took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. His dark eyes traveled over her face, assessing for himself that she truly was better.

"This is a form of medication I prefer." Amanda teased. "That other the apothecary sent over was dreadful."

Thomas chuckled. "Most usually are." He noticed Lady Lucy was still in conversation with Lord Matthew. "Are you well enough to take a short turn about the grounds?"

"I believe so." She took his hand as he assisted her from the carriage.

"Do not go too far." Lucy ordered. "I don't want you tiring yourself on your first day out."

"I promise to return her shortly." Thomas placed Amanda's hand in the bend of his arm and led her away from the bustling area.

"My lord, I must thank you for your kindness. Your care during my fever went above and beyond what was expected from our friendship. Thank you also for the flowers and gifts. They helped lift my spirits during such a time." She leaned against a tree trunk when they paused in the grove.

Thomas stood before her and reached for her hand. "I didn't remain with you when your fever raged because of friendship."

Amanda's brow furrowed. "You didn't? Then why--"

"I remained because my feelings for you go beyond friendship." He took a step closer.

"They do?" Her skepticism could be easily heard.

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes at her doubt. "I take back everything I said at the dinner party. Lord Matthew will not make a good suitor for you."

Her eyes narrowed as her tone became bitter. "And why not? You couldn't recommend him enough. He seems to be all a lady would wish for in a suitor. He's handsome, kind, and --"

"And he will never feel as I do." Thomas snapped.

Amanda's mouth hung open. "What are you saying?"

Thomas leaned closer to her as he braced an arm against the tree. "This past week began our courtship." His expression softened as he looked down at her befuddled face. "I am now your suitor."

#rcd regency au #regency au #thomas hunt rcd #choices thomas hunt #thomas hunt x oc #thomas hunt x amanda

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borisbubbles · 5 years

Text

Eurovision 2010s: 105 - 101

105. Mariya Yaremchuk - “Tick tock” Ukraine 2014

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Conform with the “GODDESSES ONLY” clause of their Eurovision contract, Ukraine once again have blessed us with an amazing opener (Seriously. First Melovin, then Eduard, now this? WE WERE ROBBED OF MARUV OPENING THE FINALE).

"Tick tock” is a bit too elementary to put into my top 100, HOWEVER that is also why it’s such an easy song to get into. High (production-)quality Ukranian trashpop 😍 Which won Vidbir as an unintentional incest anthem 😍 (if you don’t know, the original version opened with “We belonged to each other, like a sister to a brother” Cersei Lannister is quaking.)

Naturally, the main reason why Mariya ranks this high is, of course, the staging. THE HAMSTER WHEEL IS LEGENDARY:

Mariya casually flinging herself on top of that giant spinning contraption and torturing her poor hot dancer. 😍 I’d say the staging makes no sense, but then I realized Ukraine probably went with this act because it’s DIRT CHEAP <3 (which is funny as long as you don’t think about why they went with a lowbudget act 😭). It’s just so... honorarily Moldovan? 😍 Ukraine and Moldova using each other as horcruxes <3 Name a more epic ESC alliance, I will wait. Until then,

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104. Sanja Vucic - “Goodbye (Shelter)” Serbia 2016

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... let us celebrate this glorious cross-over between “Molitva”, “Running” and “l’Amore è femmina”. 😍 “Shelter” takes the best aspects from these three entries and combines them into a increasedly shouty mess. As you can imagine, I LOVE this witches’ cabal of hackneyed hand choreos, shredded leather and facial gymnastics. Most ESC performers would keep their miming to the precise amount of what they need, but Sanja is (and has always been) so UNPLUGGED with her irate facial expressions. A reel:

Which, in a song with such a HEAVY topic as spousal abuse is actually quite appropriate. You show those awful shit husbands, girl!!!

And you’d think that would be *IT*, but nope you’re wrong because :TEEHEE: I also think “Shelter” is a great song even without the messy misandry. The song is catchy, moody and highly relistenable. It’s one of the better mid-tier bops of this ranking. No wonder it got televotes from all over Euro-

oh. (🤣)

CONGRATZ BOJANA ON BEING THE HIGHEST RANKED SERBIAN ENTRY.

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103. Alyona Lanskaya - “Solayoh” Belarus 2013

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HI 🙂 MY NAME IS ALYONA LANSKAYA 🙂 I AM FROM BELARUS 🙂 MY SONG SOLAYOH. 🙂

2013 is mostly remembered as the year of ‘splicing unnecessary dubstep into your song’, but there is another recurring trend which was even better. The ‘female performer enters the stage with STYLE’ and as far as stylistic entrances go, Alyona’s is one of the best. This emissary from the planet Solayoh emerged immediately from her discoball-shaped Escape pod upon landing to tell us all the love and joys of her homeworld 😍

What follows is a lametastic banality anthem, riddled with ESL sentences (”We can make it into hot night” 😍.) and of course, a few iconic hand choreographies:

Topping off the hilarity is the idea of a well-off socialite such as Alyona Lanskaya singing about how “she had work hard all day :lip pout:” while wiggling her dress’s cerulean bossom fringes. 😍😂 Bribing juror being such hard work. <3 We stan lazy queens. 😍

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102. Sofi Marinova - “Love unlimited” Bulgaria 2012

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DO REN DEM DEM DEI

Speaking of lazy queens, remember when Bulgaria send an act that consisted entirely of a haggard ponytailed garuda wiggling her diddeys around like-a-so:

I’m only a recent convert to the Church of Marinova, only seeing the light during my last rewatch and I mean, how could I not fall in love eventually? “Love unlimited” is such a lowbudget afair, a basic dance track whose sole gimmick is saying “I love you” in like 46 different languages. 😍

As such, "Love unlimited” totally shouldn’t work... and yet it absolutely does? It’s a similar deal to Jurij, except the person taking the stage here is a lovably dimwitted middle-aged hagress who is completely oblivious to the fact that she has no chance to qualify and is giving still giving it her damn’ all, in doing so ALMOST reaching the final from a lost position. WHAT A TROOPER. I LOVE *YOU* SO MUCH, Sofi-Trophy. 😍

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101. Conan Osiris - “Telemóveis” Portugal 2019

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A lot of people blame several artistic decisions behinds Conan’s NQ, but I’ve had my doubts even before the rehearsals began: this is what I wrote a full month before the semi:

Conan’s main problems rise from the fact that he tries to be artistic and humorous at the same time, and the two cancel each other out somewhat.

(...) There’s a very high chance “Telemóveis” highbrow message will fly over the heads of the audience and there’s an equally high chance it will backfire on Conan when it does.

Portugal faces severe competition from the other acts. They compete with Slovenia for the “This Is High Quality” value-seeking vote, with Iceland and Australia for the novely vote and with Czech Republic and Greece for the “yeah this is actually really fucking clever” highbrow vote. He even competes with Serhat somehwat, both being OTT acts that are on later in the semi.

It could very well mean death by a thousand cuts for Portugal.

SURPRISE, I actually got it right for once!!

Of course, “Telemóveis” was less good in Tel Aviv than it was during FdC (people incorrecly blame the dress. I personally thought it was a combination of nerves, João spraining his knee and technical difficulties, much more than the dress).

Anyway, even if he wasn’t as good in Tel Aviv, a lesser “Telemóveis” is still pretty damn great so idk why everyone was is tripping? The song was still a disarmingly weird acid trip of fado funk, snappy vocals and a bonkers choreography that left the average viewer utterly GOBSMACKED. 😍 It’s one of those entries where, when looking back in a few years, everyone will say was way AHEAD of the curve and that’s never a bad demograph to be a part of.

CONGRATZ SUZY ON WINNING PORTUGAL!!! But moreover,

CONGRATULATIONS TOP 100!!!! K time for a little recap of who is still in this ranking:

Albania: 2 (Juliana, Eugent) Armenia: 2 (Aram, Iveta) Australia: 1 (KMH) Austria: 2 (Conchita, Zoë) Azerbaijan: 2 (Farid, DiHaj) Belarus: 3 (Litesound, IVAN, NAVIBAND) Belgium: 4 (Tom Dice, Loic, Laura Tesoro, Blanche) Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1 (Dino Merlin) Bulgaria: 3 (Elitsa & Stoyan, both Poli’s) Croatia: 0 Cyprus: 2 (Minus One, Eleni) Czech Republic: 1 (Lake Malawi) Denmark: 1 (Rasmussen) Estonia: 5 (Malcolm Lincoln, Ott, Birgit, Stigelina, Elina Netchayeva) Finland: 4 (Kuukuiskaajat, Krista, Softengine, Norma John) France: 3 (Jessy, Madame Monsieur, Amir) Georgia: 4 (Sopho N., Shin&Mariko, Nina S., Nika) Germany: 2 (Lena 2.0, Michael) Greece: 2 (Giorgos, Koza Mostra) Hungary: 4 (Kati, Andras, Joci 1.0, AWS) Iceland: 3 (Hera, Greta 2.0, Hatari) Ireland: 1 (Molly) Israel: 3 (Nadav, Hovi, Imri) Italy: 4 (Emma, Francesca, Francesco, Mahmood) Latvia: 3 (Aarzemnieki, Aminata, Justs) Lithuania: 2 (Fusedmarc, Ieva) Macedonia: 1 (Jana) Malta 2: (Gianluca, Michela) Moldova: 4 (Pasha, Aliona, Sunstroke 2.0, DoReDoS) Montenegro: 1 (Who See & Nina Z.) the Netherlands: 4 (Joan, Anouk, Common Linnets, Duncan) Norway: 2 (JOWST, KEiiNO) Poland: 1 (Cleo) Portugal: 1 (Suzy) Romania: 1 (Paula & Ovi 1.0) Russia: 1 (Polina) San Marino: 1 (Crisalide) Serbia: 1 (Bojana) Slovakia: 0 Slovenia: 5 (Maja, Tinkara, Maraaya, Lea, ZalaGasper) Spain: 2 (Ruth, Miki) Sweden: 2 (Loreen, Måns) Switzerland: 3 (Sebalter, ZiBBZ, Luca) Turkey: 1 (maNga) Ukraine: 2 (Zlata, Jamala) United Kingdom: 1 (Lucie)

LINK TO THE FULL LIST SO FAR (IMGUR)

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Top 100 #Portugal #Conan Osiris #Telemoveis #Bulgaria #Belarus #Ukraine #Serbia #Sanja Vucic #Goodbye (Shelter)#Mariya Yaremchuk #Tick Tock #Alyona Lanskaya #Solayoh #Sofi Marinova #Love unlimited

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rebeccaheyman · 4 years

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reading + listening 9.29.20

It was another week of soaring highs and middling mediocrity, but fortunately no DNFs. Notably, I’ve been dragging my heels on PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke, which has been sitting on my desk in gorgeous hard cover since release day. You ever want to love a book so much that you’re afraid to actually read it? No, no, me neither. Here’s hoping I get brave this week. In the meantime...

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake (Claire Christian), eBook ARC (US pub date February 2021). I loved this book so much that I’m already looking forward to owning the aBook once it’s available, just so I can relive the magic in a new way. Here’s my five-star NetGalley review:

I have discovered the antidote to the unmitigated disaster that is the year 2020, and it is IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE, NONI BLAKE. I inhaled this book in under 24 hours and feel soul-satisfied in a way I forgot existed. NONI BLAKE is a rom-com that's so much more than a rom-com; it's as much a character study as LESS and as much a travelogue as WILD, with the sweetness of Mhairi MacFarlane, the delicious heat of Sally Thorne, and the humor of every best friend you've ever gotten drunk with. It is, in a word, perfect.

When I say this book has it all, I am not kidding. In it, you will find: - an average-bodied woman finding sexual empowerment and body positivity - a Scottish book boyfriend for whom you do not need to travel through time - healthy adult friendships - A+ Bechdel Test score - adventurous, consensual sex that is at times hilarious and at other times really, really hot - situational comedy that will legitimately make you laugh out loud - adults who talk openly about their feelings in an authentic, mature way - portrayals of grief that range in severity from mourning the loss of an unborn child to coming to terms with years of self-criticism and negativity - rich, descriptive prose that does not drag down pacing - excellent plotting, perfectly balanced with the protagonist's complex internal journey

...the list goes on. This book is joy exemplified. I can't wait to give it to every woman I know. My only complaint is that the world needs this book immediately to inoculate us against the tidal wave of awfulness bombarding the globe, and yet it won't be released until 2021.

Notably, Australian readers have access to NONI BLAKE as of... today (!), so if you happen to be reading this in Australia, please do yourself a favor and buy this book immediately. And if there’s someone you especially like elsewhere in the world, maybe box up a copy and spread the love.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Talia Hibbert), eBook ARC (pub date March 2021). I know, I know -- how many contemporary romcoms with the exact same title structure can I read in a single week? Real answer: 2. But based on how fabulous both these titles were, I’m open to more. Here’s my four-star NetGalley review:

I've decided it's entirely impossible to read the Brown Sisters series without feeling amazing. Hibbert's writing is so smart, funny, and full of A+ banter -- not to mention scorching-hot heat -- that it almost feels like we don't deserve her books' nuances, diverse representations, and patriarchy-shaking feminism.

But we do deserve it, actually, and it's all there in ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN.

If at first Eve seems flighty and difficult to connect with, don't discount the intentionality of her characterization. In a tidy narrative trick, Hibbert gives us the very experience that defines many of Eve's friendships: while the youngest Brown sister may have made a great first impression in Chloe and Dani's books, her flightiness feels off-putting once she takes center stage. But sticking with Eve -- instead of pushing her to the margins of our two-person social circle -- has a massive pay-off, as she soon reveals herself to be intensely focused on helping others, spreading joy, and baking delicious cake. It's a side of Eve too many of her "friends" never get to see -- but Reader, we do. And it turns out, Eve is a wonder.

Many of Eve's quirks align with behaviors on the autism spectrum; while Jacob's autistic presentation is perhaps more conventional, Eve's traits are equally validated by Hibbert's sensitive, nuanced treatment of the disorder. Romance + autism usually means antisocial behaviors, rigidity, and/or Asperger's-like presentation (The Kiss Quotient/Bride Test, The Girl He Used to Know, The Rosie Project... the list goes on). But ACT YOUR AGE explores the all important "spectrum" side of "autism spectrum disorder," and urges us to resist believing we understand what these labels mean just because we understand one small aspect of a very large picture.

All of this happens while a truly compelling, heart-melting romance unfolds. Eve and Jacob are incredibly fun to watch, and Hibbert keeps things moving at a lovely clip. I especially appreciated her resistance to the "h/h have to spend totally unnecessary time apart after an argument/misunderstanding" trope in Act III, which is a convention I would happily see go the way of the dinosaur.

Fair warning to your TBR pile: If you don't reread Chloe and Dani's books prior to picking up ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN, you're going to want to afterward. There's simply no other way to maintain the rosy glow of post-Hibbert reading.

Finally, I'm predicting here and now that Mont, Alex and Tess are the next sibling trio to get the Hibbert treatment. (Please? Like...PLEASE please?)

Set My Heart to Five (Simon Stephenson), aBook (narr. Christopher Ragland, Rachael Louise Miller, Lance C. Fuller). If you combined the signature humor/love combo of David Nicholls, the deeply felt nostalgia of Ready Player One, and the bots-with-feelings hypothesis of Spielburg’s AI, you might come close to understanding what makes SET MY HEART TO FIVE so good. In the year 2054, the world has taken some unexpected turns: humans have accidentally locked themselves out of the internet, Elon Musk blew up the moon (also accidentally), and humanoid bots have been integrated into society as second-class pseudo-citizens. We meet Jared -- bot, dentist, cat-owner -- who has begun to experience curious malfunctions. With a friend’s help, and a heaping dose of old movies, Jared realizes he can feel real emotions. He resolves to journey west to Hollywood, where he’ll write a movie that changes the way humans view bots and paves the way for his bot brothers and sisters to enjoy the full range of human experience.

Jared’s explanations of human behavior provide a satirical commentary on our curious, often contradictory behaviors (”Humans. I cannot!”). Since films from the pre-bot age figure so prominently in Jared’s emotional awakening, that same satirical analysis is applied to movie synopses, which are rendered with necessary frequency but occasionally feel like overkill. The book relies heavily on a lovely trick of narrative reciprocity; Jared is on an archetypal hero’s journey, even as he strives to write a formulaic screenplay according to the “golden rules” of the fictitious script expert, R.P. McWilliams. But SET MY HEART TO FIVE never feels hackneyed, and in more than one way proves the rule that great stories are all in the telling.

With the innocence and clarity that can only come from being something of a stranger in a strange land, Jared embraces his existence with infectious enthusiasm and charm. It’s virtually impossible not to cheer for his success, even as we’re warned again and again that a great story will “eff us in the heart” at its conclusion. Audio is brilliantly narrated by Christopher Ragland, who manages to imbue the bot cadence we expect with believable nuance and big style.

Well Played (Jen DeLuca), aBook (narr. Brittany Pressley). I’ve got bad news for fans of WELL MET: If you wondered whether your enjoyment of Deluca’s ren-faire romcom debut of 2019 was due in large part to the book’s setting -- and more specifically, the way h/h’s interactions at the faire advanced the storyline -- the answer is yes. And why is that bad news, you ask? Well, because WELL PLAYED has none of the crackling Emily/Simon tension that carried the first book through its narrative stumbles. In book 2, the glacially slow Act I relies heavily on Stacy’s recitation of what makes her life humdrum, and a long series of email exchanges we *know* are coming from the conspicuously introduced Daniel -- even though Stacy, apparently suffering a traumatic brain injury, convinces herself it’s idiot playboy (and Daniel’s cousin) Dex. Sorry not sorry for the “spoiler,” which is impossible not to see coming from many miles away. Once this pseudo-conflict is resolved, the book boils down to situational fluff: a wedding, a squeaky mattress, the literal number of pumpkin spice lattes Stacy drinks over the course of a month. If it sounds like this is not a plot, that’s because it isn’t. The romance is low-stakes, the “uncrossable divide” that eventually separates h/h is the width and depth of a puddle, and the last third of the book is pretty much solely devoted to setting up a Mitch/April romance in book 3.

Notably, I found references to Stacy’s body-consciousness extremely strange. If we want to normalize average-sized women in romance, maybe we do that by not including, apropos of literally nothing, how “unflattering” woman-on-top sexual positions are?! Stacy is not characterized by self-consciousness, so the moments when her interiority veers toward self-criticism don’t feel necessary. I’m not saying these aren’t authentic thoughts and feelings plenty of women have, but an editor should have pushed DeLuca to answer the question to what end? Why include body hyperawareness in the precise moments when it appears? Like too much of the prose in WELL PLAYED, these inclusions felt like word-count boosting instead of dynamic character development or plot production. Sad as I am to say it, this book was a missed opportunity that shows the danger of rushing book 2 to market.

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Olivia Waite), aBook (narr. Morag Sims). This book has been on my radar since its publication last summer. Gorgeous cover aside, I’m always here for diverse historical romance. Sadly, for me, the external stakes here were simply too low, and relied overmuch on the baffling revelation that men -- especially in this historical moment -- underestimate and undermine women. I never felt discernible chemistry between Lucy and Catherine. This could be due, in part, to Morag Sims’ narration, which pitches Catherine’s voice in a low, husky range that accentuated the women’s age difference. From the outset, we learn that Catherine is the widow of one of Lucy’s father’s colleagues; while Lucy is the more sexually forward woman in this partnership, there’s something a little An Education about the whole arrangement.

On my radar this week:

Piranesi (Susanna Clarke)

A Deadly Education aBook (Naomi Novik)

We Can Only Save Ourselves ARC (Alison Wisdom)

Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Julie Anne Long)

The Project ARC (Courtney Summers)

The Love Square ARC (Laura Jane Williams)

#book review #ebooks #audiobooks #amreading #the lady's guide to celestial mechanics #well played #act your age eve brown #it's been a pleasure noni blake #set my heart to five

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brazenautomaton · 6 years

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Fixing Heart of the Swarm’s Story, part 3

When last we left off, we weren’t actually at a good stopping place because we’d detailed 2 out of 3 planets you can do in mostly any order, but the post was becoming very long. But we detailed Kaldir and Char. Now, for Zerus.

After Kaldir Or Char

Zerus is introduced with an incredibly cheesy, hackneyed plot device: Zeratul shows up and says “Go here ‘cause destiny and prophecy and shit”. Unfortunately, due to the structure of the game and the knowledge of the characters -- neither Kaldir or Char can strongly lead into it because you might not have done either and can do either one after Zerus; nobody on Umoja can know about Zerus, nor would they ever recommend it to you -- it’s kinda gotta be something out of nowhere. And once on Zerus, Kerrigan has to be ready to get transformed after one single mission. Even introducing Stukov in Kaldir, you might not have him, so he can’t be the impetus for Kerrigan’s willingness to transform. None of the other Zerg characters, if they knew about Zerus, can possibly provide enough impetus to go there and transform without changing them enough that they no longer do things they need to do in the rest of the story. If you stick to this mission structure, your options are very limited. And if you delay it, well, it already could have come over halfway through the game.

So we may just have to throw ourselves on the mercy of the court: Zerus and the need to go there is introduced by a prophecy, but at least in an interesting way.

Zeratul rides up in the Void Seeker and hops on to Kerrigan’s Leviathan. He tells her about Zerus, but he doesn’t know that’s what he’s doing -- he thinks she already knows. He’s here to make sure there’s no agents of Amon on board, because *mumble mumble* he has some void ability to find dudes.

And Kerrigan is like “You’re Zeratul, aren’t you? Jim spoke very highly of you.” And Zeratul realizes how much this Kerrigan doesn’t remember. So... she sits down and they have a goddamned conversation. Part of it is about Kerrigan fearing the Queen of Blades and fearing that she has no other path than to become that again. Part of it is just two people trying to connect, who know they can’t. It needs to be unexpected and heartfelt. We’ve shown Kerrigan as vulnerable, we need to show Zeratul as well, kind of stumbling when he realizes Kerrigan doesn’t already know and isn’t the invincible power-grabber he expected her to be, going on from there. And after the beginning when he sets it up to look like an exposition-dump scene about Amon and the Dark Voice and prophecies, after he gets across the Zerus information, there needs to be no sci-fi exposition whatsoever. Just the kind of talking that makes characters have nervous half-smiles about how their lives have gone. People who in the past seemed constantly certain, or are told they should be constantly certain, having a little moment about “shit sure is crazy, isn’t it?”

I know it’s easy to just say “have a really good scene, make it really emotional!” and not detail it in specific, but this is about structure. The player needs to walk away from this scene thinking “that’s nice, they went somewhere I didn’t expect with that”, so that they won’t notice “the next plot point in this story is happening because a prophecy said it was going to happen” until we’re already miles away.

Zerus

Kerrigan goes to Zerus to evolve to full power. In this, she’s still not (and never will be) the Queen of Blades, but she still needs more power both personally, and more power to command the Swarm. That’s what the increasing supply cap is about! On arrival, depending on if you’ve completed both Char and Zerus or only one, she can either say that since Raynor is dead there’s no point in trying to hide in a human mask, or that now that she knows Raynor is alive she has to be willing to do anything to save him.

The character she meets here is Dehaka, and the arc is about “Kerrigan’s afraid of power because she’s afraid of the Queen of Blades”. Now, just because of the restriction of the mission structure, this can’t really be built up to, which is another reason we want that conversation with Zeratul to touch on it. And Dehaka doesn’t have a whole lot of depth to him, because his concept is kind of about how he doesn’t have depth, his persona and character are streamlined of unnecessary things so he can more efficiently consume essence.

He does get picked up before mission 1, though, instead of after mission 3. When you arrive on Zerus, you’re like “shit we don’t know anything about this place and they aren’t linked to the hive mind, we need a local guide”, and pick up Dehaka with blatant bribery attempts; he’s the one who tells you about the Ancient One.

You can’t get many Leviathan conversations with Dehaka about the subject considering the first has to be about “hey we just picked you up why do you want to work for us” and then the second is right before the mission where she gets in the chrysalis, but you can still reflect a bit on her fear of becoming the Queen of Blades and Dehaka’s complete inability to comprehend why this could be a bad thing. Unlike with Zagara, who has the same problems as Kerrigan and reflects them, Kerrigan begins to understand her own problems better as she tries to get Dehaka to understand what she means. She also tells Stukov “Hey, if I come out and I’m the Queen of Blades, you need to kill me.” I’d love to have a more specific command, but since there’s not going to be any sort of “enemy within” plot, any plan or mechanism he has to kill her has to be abandoned and never come back, so being more specific than “you’ll have to kill me” would set up the existence of something that isn’t going to be used.

Missions can play out identically save for dialogue changes. Mission 1, feed meat to the giant ancient Zerg in a repeat of “Welcome To The Jungle”. Mission 2, defend the Chrysalis. Mission 3, Diablo III. The mission structure prevents us from having to do a lot to get the Primal Kerrigan upgrade, hopefully at least talking about being uncertain if she wants it makes its acquisition meaningful in another way. And between Mission 2 and Mission 3, we add a very important cutscene.

We add the Battle Inside The Mind (Inside The Chrysalis), what is happening in Kerrigan’s head, where she confronts and overcomes the Queen of Blades. And the image of the Queen of Blades is taunting her the whole time, informing us of what Kerrigan’s real fears are. Primary among them: Amon had no control over her, she’s just a cruel person, and the Queen of Blades is what she becomes when there’s nothing to stop her. But what can you do, you’re too weak now to do anything, you can succumb to the Queen of Blades or you can die, etc. This is one of those scenes where they fight fruitlessly, and the hero only triumphs when they realize something. Since we don’t have a lot of in-depth fight scenes and things to call back to in choreography, it’s probably something she says: that she’s not willing to give up everything for power. She’s only willing to give up herself. Optionally, probably, the realization includes giving up her pride.

Mission 3 needs some more lines where Kerrigan feels empowered and happy and exhilarated about testing our her new powers, but other than that, it’s fine.

#starcraft 2

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dweemeister · 6 years

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Coco (2017)

In 2013, the Walt Disney Company moved to trademark “Día de Los Muertos” in anticipation of Pixar’s planned Day of the Dead film. Responding to the news, comic strip author Lalo Alcaraz (La Cucaracha) created a protest image of “Muerto Mouse”, warning of its intentions to, “trademark [Latino] cultura!”. Alcaraz, through La Cucaracha, has always been politically-minded through his comic strip and has been a vehement Disney critic since at least 1994, when he infamously dressed Mickey Mouse as “Migra Mouse” to protest the Walt Disney Company’s support of California Proposition 187 and the immigration policies of then-Governor Pete Wilson. So it came as a surprise to Alcaraz’s readers when he accepted a job as cultural consultant on Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina (also a co-writer). Alcaraz helped oversee an American film that justly honors Mexican culture while approaching questions about death in ways that cross borders, answered in different ways by people of different ages.

Looking at the reaction in Mexico, Pixar and Disney have avoided what could have been a mortifying cultural blunder. Unadjusted for inflation, Coco is a Mexican cultural phenomenon, being the highest-grossing film in that nation (adjusted for inflation, it is behind a handful of 2000s releases). With the exception of Russell from Up (2009), it is the first Pixar film in which the human protagonists are non-white. It is the first Pixar film to make note of and celebrate that specific cultural and national background. At worst, Coco is devalued by hackneyed storytelling decisions (this is a great Pixar movie, but not the best of what the studio has to offer) and its frantic climax. At its best, this an affecting tearjerker always in command of its characters’ sorrow and strength in family.

Born to a family of shoemakers, all twelve-year old Miguel wants to do is be a musician like his movie hero, Ernesto de la Cruz (a composite of Mexican singer-actors Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete; both dominated the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema and make a joint cameo in Coco... Miguel also believes, for reasons best seen than described, that de la Cruz is his great-great grandfather). Miguel lives with his extended family, including his parents, cousins, grandmother Elena, and great-grandmother Coco (for whom this film is named). Día de Los Muertos – the day when the dead return to the Earth – is approaching. To describe how Miguel enters the Land of the Dead is too convoluted, lest this paragraph should run far too long. Upon entry with a stray Xolo dog named Dante, he is instantly recognized by his deceased relatives – everyone appears as skeletons – and is informed that he must return to the world of the living before sunrise with the family’s blessing. The family stipulates in their blessing that he must abandon any musical pursuits. Miguel refuses, and seeks to find Ernesto de la Cruz and receive his blessing.

Along the way to find de la Cruz, Miguel will pair up with Héctor, a fellow unable to return to the land of the living and on the cusp of being forgotten by his daughter.

Día de Los Muertos (also known without the “Los”; “The Day of the Dead”) is a Mexican holiday with Aztec origins that has been synthesized with Catholic elements. The holiday, known superficially among non-Mexican-Americans in the United States, might not be as familiar to audiences outside the Americas. But Molina and co-screenwriter Matthew Aldrich do their damndest to introduce the holiday, Mexican culture, even more than several snippets of Spanish throughout. This has been covered before in Jorge Gutiérrez’s The Book of Life (2014), another musical animated film delving into the Day of the Dead. Then again, there is boatloads of Christmas media that has been produced by American television and movie studios, so there should be room for more than one Day of the Dead movie. The animators certainly have taken great care of their worldbuilding and although the colorful Coco does not highlight the incredible visual bounds Pixar has innovated with each film (The Good Dinosaur’s photorealism, water animation breakthroughs in Finding Dory), the layered wide shots in the Land of the Dead recall what the multiplane camera provided for Walt Disney Animation Studios in the 1930s.

Preventing Coco from being top-tier Pixar is its tendency towards exposition dumps, a plot structure dependent on fakeouts that is becoming predictable and tired (something that keeps reappearing from Frozen to Big Hero 6 to Zootopia and unfortunately, I cannot elaborate any spoilers), and lightly treading on heavier moments (think of nursery rhymes that, after the first two stanzas, reveal stories dark and twisted, never recited by most parents). Molina and Aldrich spend too much of their screenplay having the dead characters explain their world, rather than it revealing itself to the audience. Once the basic rules are established for the Land of the Dead, they neglect Miguel and his living family. The living family also disdain Miguel’s wishes to become a musician, so how does he reconcile his love for family with their attacks on his true passion? The movie never makes that clear, missing a compelling facet of characterization. It is too focused on its an increasingly repetitive journey-to-x adventure (see: Inside Out, which I loved despite that criticism) that reveal more about the supporting characters than it does the leads. Not that exploring supporting characters is a terrible thing, but the aforementioned explains one reason why I haven’t truly connected with a Pixar lead character in a non-sequel since Up.

As I have mentioned before, personal and collective loss have been central to Pixar’s greatest movies since the beginning. Titles like Finding Nemo (2003) and the entire Toy Story series have been premised in loss – some losses being more abstract than others, like the emptiness of humanity found among the passengers of the Axiom in WALL-E (2008). Coco takes these themes further than all of these previous films, acknowledging that death is its central theme and not an accessory to characterization. All other subjects, feelings, and ideas can queue behind it as Coco inspires tears. Here, death takes on a culturally specific context approaching areas that major American animation studios have rarely endeavored: that death can inspire both anguish for whom one has lost and celebration for how they lived their lives. It is how one conducts themselves in life that informs how we die – even if one’s death is unexpected, senseless, arbitrary, excruciating.

Coco wants to reaffirm that, through the characters of Héctor and Ernest de la Cruz, that a person’s goodness will impact how they live in others’ memories, but takes a circuitous way to that point. The film neglects others who do not have a distant family member who can embark on an adventure through the Land of the Dead for them – in depicting the celebratory half of death, Coco forgets how death can devastate. The two can be balanced (see: Up), so it is an unnecessary compromise.

The closest Coco comes to darkness is the fact that, when a resident of the Land of the Dead no longer has anyone on Earth who remembers them, they disappear. This idea is first introduced when we meet Chicharrón, a musician friend of Héctor’s, whose time is dwindling. Chicharrón’s second and, perhaps, final passing occurs in silence and stillness, not entirely at peace. I wished that, while leaving Chicharrón’s shack with guitar in hand and after explaining the metaphysics of the Land of the Dead, Héctor took the time to tell Miguel things like why he and Chicharrón were friends, what he found admirable about him, a single memorable moment, and what he would miss about him. This need not have been a ten-minute retelling of Chicharrón’s life story, but it would have helped to show younger audiences that, yes, some are forgotten after death, but also the complexity of memory’s weight: how those we love most continue to live, in a way, when they have passed on. Though death devastates, it is not to be feared.

Coco is also a musical journey featuring a good score from Michael Giacchino (his fourth and final film score of the year, and his second-best behind War for the Planet of the Apes), but especially the songs penned by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen and the upcoming Frozen 2). Orchestrator Germaine Franco (an orchestrator decides upon the instrumentation of the score; Kung Fu Panda series, The Book of Life), was brought in to assure the music’s authenticity. Michoacano and Oaxacan (two states in Mexico) music is featured, as is a variety of genres: mariachi, banda, chilena, and norteño. Solo guitar, violin, pan flute, and trumpet respective to all those genres lead the orchestral-based score. A more qualified person should judge the appropriateness of Giacchino’s score, but, to me, it does not sound like a poor imitation of Mexican music that I might have expected from him about ten years ago. Giacchino continues to progress as a composer, knowing how to adjust his styles for the films he is working on.

Yet it is the song score from the Lopezes that take center stage in Coco, and no song is as important as “Remember Me”/”Recuérdame” (all provided links are the Spanish-language versions, as they are superior to the English-language versions – note that this review has been written on the basis of the English-language version). The song’s first appearance, sung by Ernesto de la Cruz in a flashback, is an energetic ballad replete with an awesome grito (a Mexican interjection analogous to an American cowboy’s “yeehaw”). But the song’s integration in its next two placements that will break the eye’s floodgates. Without saying too much, the lullaby and its final use in the film proper are marvelous examples of how a song may evolve in meaning from the beginning to the end. It changes with context; it changes as Miguel finds his way home. Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete would be proud.

Marcela Davison Aviles (President/CEO of the Mexican Heritage Corporation) and playwright Octavio Solis joined Lalo Alcaraz as Pixar’s cultural consultants on Coco. Noting and implementing the suggestions from these three proved difficult for Unkrich, Molina, and the producers at Pixar, but it has been well worth it in the end. Aviles critiqued the film’s music, Solis examined the theatrical presentation of the film, and Alcaraz, “looked to include more Mexican elements in the film when possible, like additional Spanish in the dialogue, and made suggestions on specific words.” Says Alcaraz: “I think we struck a good balance on giving comments that helped the cultural authenticity of the story without bogging it down as if it were some kind of Día de Los Muertos documentary.”

Quality representation in American cinema has always been difficult (this is a classic film blog, so I should know something about that), and some movie executives say “catering” to minority communities is not worth the risk. When done correctly and with respect, the results are incredible to behold. Such fortune has followed Coco from the moment it premiered in Mexico, endearing itself to Mexicans and non-Mexicans alike. It is on its way to becoming the highest-grossing Pixar film in China (where Pixar has historically struggled). The Chinese censors have, in the past, enforced a rigid ban on the depiction of ghosts and other undead. But I sense in Coco’s case, because the veneration of the deceased is so prominent in China (as is the case in many East and Southeast Asian nations; being Vietnamese-American, my extended family’s practice of ancestor veneration is the most prominent aspect immune to Americanization), the censors did not mind this time. If your movie can even make a censor feel feelings to the point where they are not executing the letter of the law, you must be doing something right!

Perhaps my criticisms of Coco are actually quibbles, but I guess I will only know upon any rewatches. In any case, Coco is one of the strongest films – animated or otherwise – released this calendar year. It attempts storytelling that other contemporary animation studios and filmmakers are too hesitant to try. It builds understanding in a year where the nation this film came from has turned inward, benefitting none. That alone makes this newest Pixar film worth seeing.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

#Coco #Pixar #Lee Unkrich #Adrian Molina #Lalo Alcaraz #Matthew Aldrich #Jason Katz #Michael Giacchino #Robert Lopez #Kristen Anderson Lopez #Germaine Franco #Marcela Davison Aviles #Octavio Solis #My Movie Odyssey

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gutterballgt · 7 years

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Some thoughts about IT.

Kneejerk first reaction: I loved it. It was nostalgic (both because I'm a child of the 80s and because I've read the book about a hundred times) and tense and filled with the helpless sense of doom, of fate, that so often permeated the book. The visual effects are flawless and enhance every unearthly scene. I left the theater satisfied and with only one complaint.

Spoilers below!

The only major complaint I have with this film is when Beverly, who is a total badass throughout the whole film, suddenly gets taken by Pennywise and used as bait, the helpless damsel, to get the boys to come after her. Even if that was the plot of the book, I would've expected it to be updated for a modern audience, so it being a complete deviation from the book's plot made it even more glaring a miscalculation.

Yes, she proved she wasn't scared of Pennywise and, thus, was sent to the deadlights instead of killed, but seriously. Why her? Why not Eddie, who spent the whole movie complaining about germs and filth and was so scared of everything? Why not Stan, who only believed because he literally had no other choice than to believe his own senses?

But no. Pennywise kidnaps the girl, who just beat the shit out of her own creepy-perv, abusive father and has been a BAMF the whole movie. Because girls.

That was disappointing. It didn't ruin the movie, exactly, but I was definitely disappointed, even in the moment. It was a bad look in an otherwise amazing movie.

ANYWAY.

Now that it's been a couple of days since I saw it (and I've watched the old TV miniseries and picked the book up again), I do see a few things that I missed from a new adaptation: namely, all of their specific talents. Maybe it was too hard to fit them into a responsible running time for a film, but why wasn't Ben an engineering genius? They didn't spend as much time in the Barrens in the film as in either the book or the miniseries, so I get why they didn't build the dam, but... that’s how he becomes rich and famous later in life. It’s what made him successful.

And why wasn't Beverly learning to draw from her father, illustrating the painful, confusing methodology of the abuser, as so glaringly drawn in the book? Her father could be kind and generous and loving... but he could also be the cruel, lecherous abuser, which was why so many women can't leave their abusive husbands. Why, in fact, Beverly always chose men who treated her like a queen until they treated her like a punching bag. Her learning to draw was the promising bud of her becoming a massively successful fashion designer later, so why is it missing?

And Bill and his storytelling. He becomes a hugely popular horror novelist later in life, unconsciously writing about his childhood horrors, but he was always a storyteller, always charismatic even with the stutter. Why was that absent?

Eddie's uncanny sense of direction. It saved their lives in the sewers, how he always knew which tunnel to pick, always knew where Derry's dark and brutal heart lie, always knew the way to go. He became a fantastically wealthy professional driver in one of the most difficult-to-navigate cities in the world with that ability. Completely absent from the film.

They did sort of mention Richie's impressions, but only in the large sense that he's a joker and a smartass. They mostly focused on him being inappropriate and hilarious (often both at the same time, which was priceless), but again, his impressions are what make him a hugely successful entertainer later in life.

Given that their adult successes -- compared to Mike's bare-bones existence and lack of any wealth or fame because he stayed behind in Derry -- were yet another sign that It's mark was still upon them, that their business wasn't through... why were these important character traces absent?

Given that it was their extraordinarily imaginative minds that both drew It to them and allowed them to defeat him, why is that almost completely missing?

I mean, it doesn't RUIN the film. In fact, anyone who hasn't read the book would never know that element was gone. Traci and Kobie (the friends that went with me) certainly didn't, and neither of them had read the book. Both LOVED the movie, and I'm trying to foist the novel off on them for more context for what they saw, but neither of them are big readers.

But for anyone who knows the overarching story -- part of which they're definitely hoping to bring to bear in the almost inevitable sequel -- it's a puzzling omission. Not a story-killer, but definitely a head-scratcher.

Don't get me wrong: some of the changes they made are good ones. Excellent, even. I loved the floating kids in It’s lair, not only because "we all float down here" but because it implies that the vast, extradimensional spiderweb in It's chamber is truly extradimensional and, thus, invisible on this plane.

And I totally get moving the entrance to the sewers from the Barrens to the house on Neibolt Street. It's way easier to make a creepy old house look foreboding and was probably way cheaper than filming out in the boonies. I did miss all the fun and games (and the genius underground clubhouse and the smokehole ceremony) and fear they had out in the Barrens, but I get it.

And it was a BRILLIANT choice to have this new Pennywise actor focus on inflections, twitches, and mannerisms instead of trying to recreate Tim Curry's manic, evil cheer from the miniseries. Bill Skarsgård has such a looming way of standing, and the weirdly over-sized head compared to the normal-sized face was visually disturbing. The contortionist moves... yeah. Creepy as fuck.

The visual effects are glorious. The jumpscares aren't either cheap or hackneyed but always well-planned and well-executed. The sustained tension, that brooding sense of wrong-and-getting-wronger, the interspersed "kids being kids" and "holy shit EXISTENTIAL TERROR" is beautiful.

It's a great horror film. It's nostalgic as fuck. It gets the damn point across, and I hope hope hope there will be a sequel with the adult half of the story and a lot more focus on the Lovecraftian nature of the original book.

Everything else (except the "damsel in sudden and unnecessary distress" thing) is quibbling with details.

Go watch it. You won't regret it.

But you might have nightmares.

#stephen king's IT #definitely a movie to watch #get thee to a cinema!#but seriously SPOILERS guys

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jeyoteswritings-blog · 7 years

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Ruins

Dear reader, you hold in your hands a manuscript record of what transpired here in these fateful ruins of Stu’un. Let these words be a testament to the abhorrent events that lead me to now hastily, yet carefully put them to paper. Let any man, woman or being possessing intelligence enough to read them take heed. Thankfully, there is sufficient light emanating from the strangely lit sconces flanking the great stone-metal door that I now rest my weary back against. My only remaining companion, the poor O’Leary, is resting beside me in a somewhat fitful sleep. It is not his destiny to explore further into these old ruins, when he awakes I will task him with taking this manuscript back to the entrance. I remember seeing a half-broken pedestal there, a perfect resting place for it. Anyone who enters this place hereafter shall see it, and the silicon-laminate pages should last for as long as these ruins stand.

We were a company of seven, including myself. My name is Robert Inez, professor of anthropology at the University of the moon of Circadia. The others were Danvers, Haley, the sisters Sheatha and Tera, Captain Vargge and O’Leary. Among our company was a doctor, an archaeologist, the two sisters who were well-respected in their fields of biology and ecology, and myself having taken up anthropological research after my time in the Great War. Originally, there were only to be six of us to enter the ruins. Captain Vargge, commander of the star cruiser the Mara Zephyr that brought us here, insisted that O’Leary come along in case an extra hand-or extra firepower-was needed. I reluctantly agreed, and while I am glad that he should be the one of us to escape this fascinating yet wretched place, I fear for the young man’s sanity and stability of mind. Even now, he mutters strange words in his sleep. These words he should not know, whose meanings are too horrible to dwell upon in further study.

Now while I harbored no animosity or ill-will toward Captain Vargge, I did find myself at odds with his behavior during the course of the expedition and in truth found him to be quite insufferable. He was of the G’achean race, a people known for their prowess and skill in battle, but also known to be hot-headed and, one might even say, reckless at times. I wondered at the Collective’s choice for him to be the star cruiser commander for the expedition. Our first entanglement came not even as our party took two steps into the ruin’s entrance. He candidly informed the group that he would be the first to enter and proceed to take the point position. “we don’t know what we’ll find in there” he said, or something to that effect. “It could be dangerous.” I argued that I too, had military training and should take point (to be honest, I was afraid that he might break some historical artifact in a zealous charge against an imaginary threat). Still he insisted, so I acquiesced. To be honest again, most of my military career was spent on the bridge of many a star destroyer as a battle tactician. I used what I had learned, and let him have this victory if only to assure the next would be mine when it might prove more vital.

Now allow me to digress. Officially, the reason we were here was simply of historical and academic pursuit. To learn about an ancient people’s way of life and improve our understanding of the current inhabitants of the planet Ashima-vide IV. I had learned from one voice in the Collective that was a confidante of mine, that they suspected there to be an ancient weapon buried here in these ruins. They thought that it’s what gave the Ashimans their seemingly unknown edge in their progress in the Great War. My own investigation around the small town where we gathered supplies proved fruitless. Not only did the locals have no reverence or respect for the ruins at all, they openly shunned them. They would say in their colorful local tongue, “this bad place was once alive and operating. Oh, the oppressors! Oh, the drivers! Do not go there. Some may still move.” Needless to say, I was somewhat creeped to tell the truth. But still this did not hint at any weapon of any kind buried underneath those walls.

Stu’un was short hike up a snowy hillside from the small town. I remember the crunch of boots in the snow as I got my first good look at the sharp towers and leaning parapets of the ruins. The walls seemed not to reflect light as we approached, even though they were of a silver-gray complexion. When we opened the ornate black stone-metal doors of the entrance, I knew right away this was and never had been, any ordinary place.

An overwhelming sense of power overtook me as our steps echoed against the walls. Everyone was silent at first and I remember that when I heard the perpetual deep rumbling of the place, it left me unsettled. The damned rumbling continues still, as I write this. It has become a kind of bassical music to which I can no longer imagine being absent from my peripheral hearing. I discovered another strange thing as I ran my hand along a smooth stone-metal wall near the entrance. It was warm. The star cruiser’s scanners had not detected any energy readings from the entirety of the ruins. Somehow, the ruins were being warmed by some unknown force. It had to be something not of electrical design, or else the scanners would have picked it up.

We expected the ruins to be dark when we entered, but all our flashlights and lanterns proved unnecessary at first. There were sconces, placed high up where wall met ceiling. A kind of faint blue light illuminated from them, although we could never find a source for the projection. I felt, as some of the others must have, as though these ruins demanded a certain amount of respect. An overwhelming sense of uneasiness stirred my blood and there was a part of me – a small part at that time – that desired to acknowledge this feeling and flee from the encompassing walls. My curiosity was the ultimate victor however, and I was – am – compelled forward against my own common sense. The five of us fanned out in all directions into the corridor while O’Leary and Captain Vargge marched straight ahead, weapons held prone as if they expected a group of goblins or unsightly ancient daemons to be hiding behind the tall, crumbling pillars that spanned the corridor.

“Whoo! Stinky place, ain’t she?” Our company’s Archaeologist, John Haley was the first to speak. The corridor did indeed have a distinct, if subdued, musk that would be extremely unpleasant if it were any stronger. “Well, at first sight I reckoned this might be a structure built by relatives of the Rillou in the T’xani system – looked like one o’ their temples. Now it’s lookin’ more like a D’booloo palace upon closer inspection.” Inspeecshun he drew out the last word in a kind of hackneyed Old-earth Australian accent. I suspected that this accent was fake and just an act to make himself seem more endearing. The two sisters, Sheatha and Tera moved to investigate the stone walls where tangled vines had spread from the ceiling. Sheatha, I had noticed, spoke only when completely necessary in a stoic voice. She seemed to speak for them both as the other sister, Tera spoke hardly at all.

“All clear!” Captain Vargge called from up ahead. Examining the room, I did not notice any similarity in the simple pillars or walls to any culture I had studied. It seemed largely utilitarian. The space was large enough for many persons to walk abreast without difficulty. Work animals and vehicles could have passed through with ease. Small adjoining rooms off the main passageway were lined with wooden racks, their purpose I could not guess at without seeing more of the ruins. The company pressed on, and the workers hired from the nearby town set up arc lamps to illuminate the passageway from whence we came.

The end of the corridor opened to a massive chamber. It was not illuminated as the entrance hall had been. As powerful as our flashlights and lamps were, they only shed light upon what seemed a fraction of the space. The depths of the darkness ahead seemed unfathomable. Everyone in the company fanned out and gazed in awe at what little could be seen. “Shin-Ra be merciful” I remember Captain Vargge had breathed as he kicked a bit of debris off the ledge in front of us. It took a few moments to clatter to the bottom with a resounding echo. “Ya ‘ear that?” remarked Haley, the archaeologist. “Sounds like water dripping far off somewhere.”

The decision was made to make camp on that ledge for the night. We rolled out our bedrolls and pop-tents that were designed to regulate the atmosphere inside them. The chamber was quite chilly, and we were fatigued from the journey to this point. However, I suspected that most of us were too excited to get much sleep, myself included. I could hear O’Leary off in a corner, recording a vid-diary. “First night here. We’ve found a gigantic chamber…”.

At this point dear reader, I’m afraid that any semblance of normalcy on this expedition was rid from our hearts. Upon waking, we discovered the workers milling about and uttering under their breath foul curses in their native language. Two of them had vanished in the night, and none had observed any sign of struggle during their sleep. Their packs still lay at the head of their bedrolls where they had been placed earlier. The rest of the workers were spooked, and left us a bit unnerved. “Prob’ly ran off back to town. She’ll be right.” Haley said. Danvers inquired after their health, and I attempted to gather more information and mollify the other workers but they didn’t seem in any mood to do anything but curse the ruins under their breathe. Roughly translated, they referred to the temple as “The damned place” and that “the oppressors still live.”

The rest of our company seemed to share Haley’s sentiment and we decided to continue regardless. I must admit I was hesitant but my curiosity at beholding a ruin untouched by modern hands and unseen by eyes for millennia outweighed my fear of an unknown malevolence. We affixed staves upon the stone ledge and rappelled downward to the depths of the enormous chamber. A couple of the workers opted to stay behind to watch over camp and keep a lookout for their missing companions.

After what must have been the better part of an hour, we finally reached the bottom. The floor of the chamber was tile stone, crumbling and uneven. Captain Vargge and O’Leary took point of course, pointing their laser rifles at the surrounding structures. The bright flashlights affixed to the weapons cast an eerie light upon decrepit columns, stairs and ramps that led upward in the distance. There were low buildings that were found to have little in them but the rotting wood of what was once furniture, beds and tables and chairs. All throughout were horrendous thick and green vines, choking the rough stone of the structures. The workers had to cut through them with long, sharp blades and harried our progress some. To make the journey even more hazardous were foliage-filled pools that were deeper than they should have been. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be craters made from falling rocks from the ceiling. The workers were even more wary now, a couple of them having fallen in and complained of sprained ankles.

Coming across a particularly large ramp that led upward into the darkness, we decided to split the company into two parties. Myself, Captain Vargge and Danvers would take a couple of workers and investigate where the ramp led. O’Leary, Haley and the sisters would remain behind with the other workers and survey the surrounding area more thoroughly. I remember we noticed at this point the luminescent tendril-like plants that hung from the ceiling high above, and spread out downward along the walls. The sisters mentioned that they would try to look for a sample to take back to the ship to be analyzed.

The trek upwards on the great ramp was toilsome. It was steep, and there were points where it branched off into other directions, apparent that it was just a part of a network of ramps and walkways above the ground floor far below. Intermittently were small towers, seemingly waypoints of sorts. They glowed with strange symbols when we cast light upon them. The cursed mutterings from our native companions increased with each one we encountered. Ever upward we trekked along the ramp, and once passed a great waterfall. So massive was it that the source was not apparent with the light we had available to us. A wall of roaring water, falling to the black abyss below.

Eventually we reached a structure, and our progress was impeded by a set of heavy golden-metal gates. Off to the side were two small towers, like the waypoints we encountered earlier. Closer investigation revealed to us that each had a lever set upon a pedestal inside. After several attempts, we found that the levers had to be moved in sync by two people. The gates creaked open with a sickeningly loud screech and opened inward. Past the gate was a set of great stairs, worn and cracked from past use and age. As we climbed, our flashlights and torches shed light upon what could only be a great underground fortress. There were walls and parapets, and inside a massive courtyard were three keeps. Two lesser and one great keep set farther back against the tall wall that surrounded it. The stone here we noticed, gleamed with a curious sheen. I concluded that the bricks themselves had gold in the mixture! This was an important discovery. This keep, following that many cultures regarded gold as a precious metal, must have been a headquarters of some type. What glorious beings once graced these gold-stone steps and mingled between its walls? And glorious they must have been, as we came across another amazing discovery! The ornate wooden entrances to the keeps, more massive than we first realized, were nearly five stories tall! Too far up for us to reach were golden fixtures, clearly handles for a giant hand to grasp and turn. Even with our combined strength, the five of us could not pry open the doors to the first two structures. But the wood was rotting at the bottom of the doorway of the great keep. We made short work of clearing it away to gain entry. Our two native companions refused to enter, and waited outside in an anxious manner.

The sight of what lay in that room dear reader, I cannot fully describe. My premonition of foreboding increased as we surveyed the vast chamber and cast light upon what was carved inside, but I also felt a strange compulsion. I’m not sure if imagined or real, or when it had started, but a strange and ethereal hum seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. My feet seemed to act on their very own and I began to walk toward the carven images, Captain Vargge and Danvers split off on their own without a word. The statues were carved into shapes of men and other creatures from around the galaxy, but were wrong somehow. Some had heads or limbs or tails that did not match. Some were beasts from worlds not known to I. Even now I shudder at the memory of their vicious, toothy visages.

“AAAAAaaaaahhhhh!” A hair-raising scream woke me from my mystified reverie, and I spun my light in all directions seeking the source. I started to run back to the entrance, and nearly collided with Danvers.

“They…they rise! Woe becomes him who defies their whims!” Danvers clutched at my shirt, his eyes wild and the sheen of cold sweat visible on his brow. “They command! AAAaaahhh!”

He took off screaming the way we had come. I think I was more frightened than I ever have been in my life. I ran after him, through the rotting entrance and back down the stairs and ramp as fast as my feet could take me. I vaguely remember now hearing the discharge of a weapon behind me, as well as thunderous steps that made the floor rumble. Something huge was moving. I can recall no more until the moment I returned to the others at the base of the structure.

The first person I saw was Haley, who looked frustrated and excitable. “Wot, the ‘ell!” he yelled as he saw me. “Danvers ran off screamin’! We needed ‘Im to look at one of the sisters. What’s his deal?”. When I inquired what he meant, Haley led me a little way away from the little camp to small clearing behind a low building. The glowing tendril plants we noticed earlier snaking down the walls had apparently grown in a shockingly short amount of time. Tangled up in the luminescent tendrils was one of the sisters. It was the older one, Sheatha. “I tried to ask what the ‘ell happened but she won’t say anything,” Haley said. O’Leary was off to the side, gun poised and looking nervous. Tera stood directly in front of her sister, silent and seemingly transfixed. My premonition of impending doom for our little company increased, but so also did the strange compulsion. I told the others I planned to press on, to the heart of the ruins. I told them briefly of what I saw up the ramp, and the disappearance of Captain Vargge. They agreed to accompany me, only slightly reluctant. I wondered if they too felt the compelling force.

We set out along the main path again, doing our best to clear away the vines and foliage. Before long we reached a chasm with the great waterfall on the opposite side. There was set of narrow stairs leading downward. We could not see where the stairs were leading us, and our proximity to the waterfall brought the sound to a deafening roar. It entwined with the unearthly hum of before, along with a distant thumping. We descended to that place, into the very heart of the ruins and my mind was clouded with visions of what I can only describe now as distant memories. I saw this place as it once was, a terrible and thriving machine of horrible capacity. A twisting and writhing industry of creation. I will write down no more of these visions. My last sane thoughts I wish to be of more peaceful things.

We reached the bottom of the stairwell and entered a chamber of which there were three massive stone-metal doors. The original giant inhabitants of these ruins must lie behind them. Again, that sense of an immense power we felt when we first entered, but many times stronger. Torches were still lit down here, ensconced next to each doorway. The flickering flames cast playful shadows along carvings of the masters, the oppressors and their subjects. Depicted were scenes similar to what I saw in my visions. Still I had no choice. I had to continue further.

Then, the torches were suddenly snuffed out! “Fuck!” O’Leary flashed his light towards something that moved at the edge of the room. I shone my flashlight around too, and do not care now that I admit I cowered in fear for a time at what I saw. Several manners of beast moved around us in a circle, snarling and shying from the light of our lamps. I glimpsed fur, teeth, scales, nails and I swear to you dear reader, that these creatures had the bodies of beasts but the heads of none other than our missing companions!

When I once again had the courage to look up, the torches were lit again. O’Leary stood staring, leaning against a wall. He wouldn’t speak to me, but I told him to lay down and get some rest before beginning to write this manuscript. Now the time has come for me to wake the poor man, who must live with what he has witnessed in this wretched place. For me, I know that I will remain. This will become my eternal home. I have been chosen by them. In a few minutes, the doors will open to the inner sanctum and I will gaze upon the majesty of my masters…I can…feel a change…transformation…my…destiny…Stu’un!

End.

#short story #horror #surreal

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remembertae · 7 years

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Beverly Hills, 90210 “Nancy’s Choice”

(Photo: FOX)

S6 E19 Jan. 30, 1996

WRITTEN BY: John Eisendrath and Meredith Stiehm

SYNOPSIS

California University student newspaper editor Susan has been nominated for a Collegiate Press Club Award. Her boyfriend/newspaper colleague Brandon believes she’s sure to win for last year’s notorious feature story about an anonymous young woman (“Nancy”) who had an abortion. The two discuss her odds as they walk into the newspaper office, where they find Susan’s ex-boyfriend/ex-editor Jonathan hanging out with all his former colleagues. Unbeknownst to Brandon, CU has invited Jonathan to the awards dinner since he’d served as editor when “Nancy’s Story” was published. Brandon assumes Jonathan is attending the dinner as Susan’s date and jealously stomps out of the office, even after Susan assures him there’s nothing going on between her and Jonathan.

Later at the student union, Jonathan and Susan chat about the awards. She wonders why he came for the ceremony. He insists he’s there to support her, adding, “Who else knows how much you sacrificed for this story?” Susan winces and Jonathan apologizes, but Brandon approaches before they can discuss things further. After Jonathan leaves, Susan explains to Brandon that Jonathan never approved of Nancy’s story because he’s pro-life and thinks Susan “infringed on her privacy.” When Brandon asks if she did, Susan admits to pushing Nancy to tell her tale, but also believes the story helped her subject heal. When Brandon wonders why Susan cares so much what Jonathan thinks, she explains that he was her mentor and his disapproval hurt. And when she admits she’s still bothered by Jonathan’s disapproval, Brandon stomps off again.

Brandon asks his friends Steve and Clare to come to the dinner so he doesn’t have to deal with Jonathan alone. But then he and Susan bicker more later when she refuses to print his column until he does more reporting. Taking her editorial decision personally, Brandon tells her to have fun at the awards with Jonathan.

On the evening of the awards, Brandon dons a suit but heads to a local diner, The Peach Pit, instead of the dinner. Peach Pit proprietor Nat asks Brandon why he’s ditching the ceremony. Brandon can’t figure why Jonathan came back to town to celebrate Susan’s nomination for a story that caused their break-up. Nat tells Brandon he’ll never get an answer if he doesn’t show up for the dinner and compete for Susan.

Brandon arrives at the awards dinner right before Susan’s category is announced. After he sits down, someone at their table asks Susan what her article was about. She answers, “It’s about a woman’s right to choose.” Steve asks why it’s never the man’s right to choose, to which Clare and Susan both make snarky remarks about men never getting pregnant. Jonathan chimes in to say he doesn’t believe men or women should be able to choose. Brandon asks, in open ear shot of their entire table, if Jonathan broke up with Susan over the article. But before he can answer, Susan is announced as the best feature story winner.

Susan nervously accepts the award on behalf of all women who’ve faced Nancy’s difficult decision. “If Nancy were here tonight,” she says, “I can’t say she might not regret her choice. The effects are that profound and the consequences are that lasting. That’s why winning this award is very special – it honors more than choice, it also honors courage.” She leaves the stage visibly unnerved.

Brandon and Susan take a walk after the awards. He suggests she tell Nancy about her win, to which she replies, “I’m Nancy.” Brandon guesses correctly that Jonathan was the fetus father. She explains that after her sister died in a tragic accident the year prior, she and Jonathan got drunk and had unprotected sex. And when Jonathan learned of the pregnancy, he asked her to marry him. Susan gets weepy telling her story and Brandon embraces her. She asks him if he’s now turned off by her and he assures her that he’s not.

Jonathan approaches the two of them and Brandon lets them be alone. Jonathan is still upset he never had any input in Susan’s decision. She says she wasn’t going to change her life over a mistake, to which he angrily responds, “That’s a great way to talk about a child!” Susan claims he was pro-choice until he didn’t have one. Despite his resentment, Jonathan says he can’t help but forgive Susan and congratulates her for her award win.

Back at the banquet hall, Brandon hands Susan her award and tells her, “Doubting your decision doesn’t mean you made the wrong one.” All Susan can say is, “He forgave me. Now if only I could forgive myself.” She asks Brandon to hold her and he does.

KEEPING IT REAL QUOTIENT

I find this tale very interesting within the context of Beverly Hills, 90210’s previous abortion stories - season 2’s episode about reformed “bad mom” Jackie’s unplanned pregnancy and season 4’s two-episode arc about college freshman Andrea’s oops fetus. In a way, one could interpret this episode as the alternate reality Andrea might have experienced if she’d chosen abortion instead of birthing baby Hannah and marrying fetus father Jesse.

Susan and Andrea are remarkably similar characters - intelligent, intense (one might say “uptight”), proudly feminist women who serve as newspaper editors at different points in the series. Both women have a somewhat competitive relationship with Brandon, and are attracted to him. Both characters are accidentally impregnated by their non-Brandon college boyfriends and, at least at first, both choose abortion. When Andrea pursues termination despite Jesse’s pro-life stance, he threatens to break up with her. Between the prospect of losing him and the shame of terminating her offspring (she tearfully apologizes to her fetus the night before her appointment), Andrea changes her mind, marries Jesse and has her baby. The outcome of her choice is complicated. Hannah is born premature and suffers serious health problems during her infancy. Andrea struggles with balancing parenting and her studies. Jesse proves to be a judgmental, pushy, yet not particularly helpful father/husband. Both he and Andrea end up cheating on each other and consider divorce. Though they patch things up enough to keep their family together, one has to wonder if she might have been happier having an abortion and telling Jesse to kiss off.

With Susan’s story, we get an idea of how Andrea might have fared had she just gone through with it. And, no surprise to me, it looks like Susan’s decision was a good one. Jonathan is a jerk (to the point that he makes bratty Brandon look like a great guy in comparison). Essentially, it seems he offered Susan the same ultimatum Jesse gave Andrea - marry me and have this child or I break up with you. And if that weren’t enough manipulation, now he’s trying to sabotage her new relationship. Why ever would she be inclined to birth a baby she doesn’t want just to be with this guy, when instead she can continue pursuing her academic goals and be editor of the newspaper?

And yet, Susan remains plagued by shame. Not only does she second-guess her decision to abort, she still cannot forgive herself. For what? The abortion itself? Or getting pregnant in the first place? A decent narrative that centers the abortion-seeking character would answer that question, but the writers dumbly assume Susan must feel guilty about something, even if they don’t explain what. Her point of view feels so un-feminist. She internalizes Jonathan’s disapproval. And when she tells Brandon the truth about “Nancy”, she needs to know he doesn’t see her as damaged goods. There’s this moment after Brandon asks her (very judgmentally) how she got knocked up by accident, only to check himself and say she doesn’t owe him an answer to that question. But then Susan says, “Yes, I do.” No, you really don’t! People fuck up and get pregnant by mistake literally all the time. This “mourning my dead sister made us forget the condom” bit is overkill, but the writers probably thought we needed that maudlin detail to feel any sympathy for her. Because unlike Andrea, she actually went through with the abortion. And so she must do penance.

I’d somehow missed this episode when it originally aired and knew nothing about it until it was recently highlighted on the Beverly Hills, 90210 podcast “Again with This”. In her scathing recap, host Tara Ariano commented on the fact that both Jesse and Jonathan were eager to raise their girlfriends’ babies, noting, “This seems statistically unlikely that, of this sample, it would be one hundred percent anti-choice on the dudes’ side.” I’ve discussed the “overzealous fetus father” trope before, and how I believe it’s way overrepresented in the dozens of abortion episodes I’ve reviewed for this site.* Making the male partner disagree with the abortion-seeking woman is such a hackneyed source of abortion conflict, but the trope doesn’t have to be done this poorly. Again, in a smarter story, we’d have more discussion about Susan’s claim that Jonathan became anti-abortion simply because he didn’t have any input (we might have wound up with something like Mimi-Rose and Adam’s story from Girls). Or perhaps, if Susan had to be at odds with Jonathan, she could have been more secure in her decision, as Jackie was when she discussed her past abortion with daughter Kelly back in season 2. But no. Instead, there’s this sense that Susan should want her ex and her beau’s forgiveness. She may have dodged premature motherhood and an unhappy marriage, but vague, inexplicable guilt is her trade-off for maintaining that freedom.

GRADE

D+ I’m glad Susan had her abortion. Her stupid, unnecessary guilt trip (that does not suit her character) sucks, but it’s still better than her starting a family with Jonathan. That’s about all this dopey, lazy, stigmatizing episode has going for it.

Including this episode, we’ve reviewed 51 abortion stories. In 35 of those stories, the fetus father is made aware of the pregnancy. In 20 of those 35 stories, the pregnant woman either considers or goes through with an abortion, and the fetus father disagrees with her choice.

- by Tara

#abortion #abortion episode #beverly hills 90210

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trulycertain · 7 years

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Tru’s Writing Notes

I’ve had people ask me after seeing my feedback on stories if I’m as overanalytical with my own stuff. The answer is yes. My stuff may often be written at 4 AM and typo-laden, but yes.

Because of that and @thesecondsealwrites talking about process (though unlike her post, this is more the why/how than the everyday practicalities of writing), here are some of the notes I’ve left myself in my journal. These apply mostly to the way I write my original rather than my fic, but they can apply to both. Can I add: a lot of these probably seem very obvious, I know, and I don’t always manage to bear them in mind. Also, I’m not a pro or even a talented amateur, and these aren’t addressing an audience, they’re addressing me - and they apply more to the way I write than writing in general. But if anyone might find this interesting or wants to know if I worry about my writing, here’s your answer.

People tend to like a strong story, with good reason. The best plots tend to be simple, and then you build outwards and maybe twist. A compelling central arc, certain genre tropes or something familiar tend to be what work: forbidden romance, or an unsolved murder and a maverick. We have a fair idea of what’s going to happen, but it’s the anticipation - and/or the eventual subversion - that brings the fun. Plot and drive.

Again, try to have a strong idea of where it’s going, or the spirit of it. Terry Pratchett once said that you want to be able to write your own blurb: it’s a good sign if you can distil the essence of your story into a hundred words or so.

Just like real people, characters have verbal tics, peculiar turns of phrase and certain mannerisms. Learn them, and use but don’t overuse. Keep it natural.

Some people just don’t like present tense, or past, or first person, for whatever reason. You may be buggered from the start, and sometimes all you can do is try. Try and know your audience, try your best. Try not to bang your head against a wall.

However, present tense is a slippery bastard. At its best, there’s almost nothing that can match it for immediacy and visceral intensity. At its worst, it can either be staccato, bleak and overly clinical - or at the other end of the scale, it can be overwrought sensory overload. Either way, a reader will be put off. Ideally, I try to balance the two and end up somewhere in the middle: punch and verve, but with restraint and room for the reader to infer. I rarely manage this, but God do I try.

Speaking of inference: don’t assume the reader is an idiot. Sometimes the best punchline or explanation is the one that’s never given. Myself, my favourite horror stories are the ones that don’t go for shlock and shocks: they’re the ones where I finish them feeling mildly unsettled, go and do the washing-up while my mind puts the pieces together, and then go, five or ten minutes later, “Oh God, it was behind the door the whole time! That’s... Argh.”

People are terrifyingly complicated. Every reader brings something to the text, whether they’re aware of it or not. This can add unexpected beauty or poignancy, but it can also make implication, idioms, dialect and offence into total minefields. People can come out with things that would never have occurred to you. Something might fly over someone’s head, or something might turn out to be an incredibly offensive phrase in their country and perfectly innocuous in yours; someone might find your happy ending the most depressing thing in the known universe, and someone else might hate your likeable romantic hero because he reminds them of their arsehole ex. Sometimes you can anticipate this and take countermeasures for clarity’s sake; often you don’t need to because theirs is a perfectly valid interpretation and part of the joy of making a cake is seeing people eat it; and mostly you just can’t know, because people come in so many different permutations and you’re not actually psychic, so leave them to it. Gah.

Watch your tenses. Things like flashbacks are nightmare territory and ripe for grammar slippage. Never be afraid or too proud to read up on usage.

Same with semicolons. Tricky little gits.

People mangle language. Doesn’t matter whether you’ve had the “perfect” education, everyone does it at least sometimes. People lose words, misuse vocabulary (me, all the time), go for double negatives, mix metaphors. You always want your dialogue to be readable, and you don’t want your portrayals to be hackneyed or offensive, but it’s generally unnecessary to aim for perfection in dialogue unless it’s for effect: say, if you want to make a character less approachable, if you want to show they’re not human, or if rose-tinted dialogue is a stylistic choice. Generally, true-to-life dialogue is inherently descriptive rather than prescriptive.

Sometimes said mangling leads to fascinating new quirks, dialect and expressions.

Speech is very different from thought. A character’s narrative voice is often quite different to their dialogue voice. Thought is much faster than speech, and sometimes someone will answer their own question before they’ve finished saying it. Thought is by nature more disjointed, and thought is also a monologue, unless everyone’s suddenly turned telepathic or you’re dealing with dissociation/multiple personalities. In contrast, speech has a listener, which changes it. Nerves can make phrases choppy or make them fail completely. Often people interrupt each other. Realistic dialogue should reflect this.

On a similar note, let your characters talk. Know where to draw the line - no-one wants the tension ruined by a half-hour conversation about socks - but very few people are all business or all dramatic emotion all the time. (Those who seemingly are will have reasons for it, and those are often worth exploring, too.) Unless you’re on a particular word and/or time limit, let your characters occasionally be real people whose eyeliner runs, or who dislike artichokes, or who make bad jokes - and people who don’t revolve completely around your protagonist, with their own internal lives. When done right, relateable is not boring - especially if you’re working in a fantastic or dramatic canon. The odd anchor to reality can grab your heart and tug.

But do know where to draw the line. Let them be enigmatic and heroic when they need to, because often the magic is in that contrast between the epic and the mundane. Characters can do and be what we can’t. Don’t take away all their mystery and more idealised qualities.

There’s no one way to do funny, and there’s no way to write an instruction manual for it. Again, like most other things, it’s a matter of interpretation: everyone’s tickled by different things. But often humour relies on the subversion of expectation - bathos and anticlimax, for example, or giving an established word/phrase an entirely new meaning - or it relies on particular character idiosyncrasies, or on the other side, the utter, crushing fulfilment of expectations. (”Save the world, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.”) A good source of jokes is often that “I bloody knew it!” feeling.

Characters have biases, too. Always try and account for this in the narrative.

Foreshadowing is your friend, and often a key to emotional closure for the reader. Unless you can do some serious, stylish authorial sleight-of-hand, deus ex machina endings will prompt pissed-offness rather than satisfied applause. Even if you don’t introduce your secret weapon/s early on - best right near the beginning, if possible - at least get the key themes and characters down. You want to get an, “Oh, of course,” not “Well, that was a total arse-pull.”

Screenwriters sometimes talk of an A-plot and a B-plot. The A-plot’s the main one, and B is a seemingly separate subplot that inevitably turns out to be all tangled up with A. It’s pretty standard for detective dramas: there’s a murder, they start investigating, and the seemingly unrelated corpse on the other side of town always ends up being central to the case. A and B always converge. Often, if it’s a story with depth and a well-reasoned plot, the B plot will grow naturally. Of course, that’s only one way of doing it: some stories have a strong, driving A plot that drives everything and stands on its own, and have some C, D, E, F, so on plots. I admit, I’m not much good at the A + B plot thing, so I don’t tend to do it. If I have subplots, they tend to be less connected and a bit more character-driven, rather than about world-saving/murder-solving like the A plot. (I tend to half-jokingly call these C plots, where the C stands for “character” or “crying.”) Good characters usually write their own C plots - they have ulterior motives, hidden aspects, unexpected connections, and if you let them wander off they’ll make trouble for themselves. C plots are connected to the main plot, but unlike B plots, not a fundamental part of it. Sorry, screenwriters, for the terminology mangling.

Another trick to nick from Hollywood: the meet-cute. Sometimes you want someone to enter the narrative sneakily and unobtrusively, but often, especially with protagonists and love interests, never underestimate the power of a good, memorable character introduction. Audiences remember the ways they meet your characters, and the ways that characters meet eaxch other.

It’s not necessary for every story, but often it’s good to have a rock-bottom moment where everything looks hopeless. It reminds your audience viscerally of the stakes and penalties for failure, and it makes eventual victory even sweeter because it’s against the odds. Unless the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. In that case, rock on with your downer-ending self.

Often the best plot comes from character. (After all, Greek dramatists went on about this all the time with concepts like hubris and hamartia.) Even when nations clash, nations are run by flawed, corrupt people. Antagonists ought to have strong motivations unless you’re writing senseless violence/cruelty intentionally. So on. People often talk about the heart of drama being conflict, and some people, taking that to heart, write a war or their couple arguing. Yeah, that can work brilliantly, but there are other ways to do it, and conflict can be smaller-scale, too. It can be as simple as different aspects of the same character clashing; for instance, if they’re torn between love and duty (there’s a reason that one’s so popular), or the conflict between their past and present selves.

#writing #tru talks #tru rambles #long post #god i probably sound so bloody arrogant #but did i mention this is mostly me prodding myself and my stories?#not anyone else necessarily

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mouseheart · 7 years

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Star Trek: Beyond

Beyond what? A joke? That’s cheap, this is OK stuff, decent, fast paced entertainment that just doesn’t bear too close scrutiny. I’m late getting to it, I admit, because Star Trek never fired my phasers like it did some- Shatner as Kirk was smugly dislikeable even before the revelations about him actually being smugly displayable surfaced with the rash of ST autobiographies in the 90s, and Roddenbury’s vision of the Federation, whilst certainly something to aim at in a theoretical sense, always seemed like a bit of a happy-clappy cult to me. So, new Star Trek? Thanks, I’ll wait for a rental.

Anyhow, here it is, and it’s not bad. Not to say that it’s all good, suffering from a surfeit of plot holes and inconsistencies (Although not in the same league as Alien: Covenant), but at least it moves along at a frantic pace with action from a few minutes in and no forgetting that it’s here to entertain (Alien: Covenant…). One problem with these films is that, divergent histories and timelines aside, we know that this is an unkillable franchise and that the federation will prevail. In that respect, blowing the film up to two hours doesn’t alter the fact that our expectations are the same as watching an episode from a TV series.

So, essentially at the same time that everybody on the Enterprise is suffering from existential angst, Starfleet is suckered into sending the ship out on a faked rescue mission that sees the ship brought down by a swarm of single seat aggressor craft in a huge overuse of CGI. It also prompts the first WTF moment in that the Enterprise’s hull is repeatedly punctured but apparently seals itself to prevent massive instant decompression. Well, maybe. Anyhow, the ship is boarded by yer typical alien, i.e. standard bipedal bloke in a an armoured space suit, there’s a bit of action, the Enterprise crashes, the bridge crew are split up, the red shirts and extras are captured, and it turns out that the bad guy, Krall (Idris Elba) is a federation hating psycho in search of a weaponised McGuffin to wreak some kind of dastardly vengeance. There was a certain amount of dissatisfaction with this casting, some reviewers saying ‘It could have been anybody under the prosthetics’. Well, yes, but you can say that about any alien part that requires similar makeup, why should this be different? Elba is a big guy with a powerful physical presence and he uses this well, avoiding the Dr Evil campiness of so many Star Trek villains, and his body language, disjointed diction and delivery worked well for me, equally in the later (Spoiler here) scene where he is seen becoming unhinged in his video log. A waste of an actor? No, not unless there’s a reason I don’t know why he should always be recognisably Idris Elba. The only disappointment is that this film ends with a fist fight, as Star Trek so often does, and unless there’s something we don’t know about little Chris Pine (Such as him spending 11 years in the Shaolin monastery), I think we all know who would win. One thing, though, space is definitely American. The Federations giant floating cult compound is the Yorktown, and in three movies we’ve had two British and one Australian bad guy- give us a break guys- and why isn’t the future a lot more Chinese?

The other good performance under a mask is Sofia Boutella as Jaylah, an alien version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and physically inhabiting her role with complete conviction as in, say, Kingsman, or even as a mute presence of projected peace and serenity in Monsters: The Dark Continent. The rest of the cast work through their impersonations of the original cast, to varying degrees of success, Karl Urban nailing DeForest Kelly’s lugubriousness nicely, as always.

There was a certain amount of comment and discussion about the depiction of John Cho’s Sulu as gay. George Takei himself thought it was unnecessary, bringing attention to same sex relationships as though they were still to be regarded as unusual, or noteworthy when society had presumably developed over the next few hundred years. Cho himself has gone on record as stating that it was a tribute to Takei himself, out, content, and respected. Personally, I thought it was sweetly done- Sulu simply meets up with his partner and there daughter on the Yorktown, and they go off, casually happy and at ease in each other’s company. No comment one way or another, natural and human. Back with the film, it lurches from one set piece to another, with the bridge crew, as ever, doing the grunt work, fighting the alien soldiers (Drones, although whether mechanical or biological isn't explained.), zipping about on motorcycles, repairing a decades defunct spaceship in a couple of hours (The Federation really does build tough ships- this thing has been overgrown by forest for years, crashes through solid mountain peaks without a dent and still hits faster than light), working out that for all the sophistication of their opponents they blow up when The Beastie Boys are played at them, and crashing the salvaged Franklin into the Yorktown. The latter doesn’t result in the catastrophic damage that you would expect, and plays much like the similar seen from Into Darkness. That’s maybe the problem- so much of this is familiar, to one degree or another. It has plot holes, inconsistencies, but it entertains, except that at the end any of the imagination from the original is once again lots- sure, the original series looks hackneyed and low budget now, but we’ve had three movies of mad megalomaniacs with a grudge against the Federation, where are the giant space amoebae, the evil parallel dimension where everybody has a little Van Dyke beard, or the misunderstood subterranean creature accidentally killing mining colonists? Plus, how many times does Kirk get The Enterprise shot from under him before his superiors stop giving him ships?

#star trek beyond; john cho; idris elba; sofia boutella;

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